Special Issues-04-01-2016

Superficially porous particles with their favorable chromatographic properties were a great advance for liquid chromatography. The speed they enable is exemplified by a LC–MS method of analysis for four mycotoxins, spanning log P values from -0.7 to 3.6, with an analysis time of just over 8 min and excellent performance. Another issue is the separation of closely related mycotoxins, like 3- and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol. With the common C18 chemistries they coelute and identification and quantification can only be achieved through differing MS-MS signals. Now, with the newer pentafluorophenyl chemistries these two mycotoxins can be separated by LC and MS quantification of them has become much more precise.

In recent years, synthetic cannabinoids (or “spice”) have experienced a boom in popularity. The negative health effects of these drugs coupled with their increasing popularity led to placement onto Schedule I by the DEA. In response, the chemists behind these illicit compounds frequently invent new compounds to circumvent the law. Thus, new classes and new examples within classes of “spice” continue to become available for illicit use. In this paper, we examine the use of two different column chemistries (C18 and phenyl-hexyl) in an effort to definitively identify synthetic cannabinoid compounds in patient samples.

HPLC–MS-MS is the go-to technique for high throughput analysis of small molecule therapeutics, metabolites, and biomarkers. Through technological advancements in the last decade, developing quality methods for a novel analyte in the contract research environment has become easier and faster than ever. Increasingly shorter run times, higher sensitivity, and greater separation have all become possible in a standard method. This is, in part, due to column technologies that have enabled the standardization of the method development process. Method efficiency and productivity are also improving because of emerging column technologies such as sub-2 µm particle size coupled with UHPLC–MS-MS, superficially porous particle columns, and microflow HPLC–MS-MS. Increasing efficiency and productivity in high throughput bioanalysis is becoming more important as the applications for HPLC–MS-MS expand to large molecules such as peptides, proteins, and oligonucleotides.

This article gives a brief overview of just some of the chiral environmental studies carried out recently that cover the differing enantiomeric activity of pesticides, their environmental transformation, and the degradation of pollutants in general. They highlight some of the recent advances in chiral stationary phases (CSPs) that have enabled higher efficiency and faster separations than previously seen in this area.

With many new biopharmaceuticals now being developed, robust analytical methods are needed to ensure that these protein-based drugs are of high purity and safe with a minimum amount of side effects. Size-exclusion chromatography is an important technique in investigating purity and is useful to identify and monitor protein aggregation, which can have economic and immunogenicity effects. This article discusses those column parameters that are most important in the selection of the optimum phase for SEC separations.

The last decade has seen a series of advances in the field of liquid chromatography that have resulted in improvements for many clinical diagnostic services. These innovations have included the expansion of superficially porous particle columns, new or improved stationary phase options, and “user-friendly” multiple-channel HPLC instrument options that allow sequential analysis-a boon for low and moderate throughput laboratories with limited hardware. As a result, diagnostic services are able to offer faster turn-around-times and measure analytes in patient types and disease states that were previously problematic. This article presents examples of the impact these innovations have had in a number of hospital settings.

A brief introduction to the articles presented in this supplement

Click the title above to open the LCGC North America April 2016 Recent Developments in LC Column Technology Supplement, Vol 34 No s4, in an interactive PDF format.