Application of Microbore UHPLC–MS-MS to the Quantitation of In Vivo Pharmacokinetic Study Samples
July 1st 2009Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) is the primary bioanalytical technique used today within the pharmaceutical industry for the quantitation of small molecules in biological matrices such as plasma. In recent years, chromatographic resolution has been improved with the development of ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) systems that utilize smaller diameter particles (< 3 μm) and operate at pressures > 5000 psi. While most LC systems utilized for this application are optimized for columns with internal diameters (i.d.) between 2.0 and 4.6 mm, a new UHPLC system designed for microbore columns (≤ 1 mm i.d.) has been introduced recently. This article will discuss the advantages of using a microbore UHPLC system coupled with a tandem mass spectrometer for the quantitation of in vivo pharmacokinetic samples. These advantages include reduced sample and solvent consumption, improved chromatographic resolution and speed, and reduced mass spectrometer source..
Anatomy of an Ion's Fragmentation After Electron Ionization, Part II
July 1st 2009Determining an organic compound's structure from its mass spectrum is challenging. If, as in the case of soft ionization - chemical ionization (CI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), field ionization (FI), electrospray (ES), atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), or fast atom bombardment (FAB) - the mass spectrum only provides the mass of the intact molecule, the challenge can be even greater. At best, an elemental composition can be determined if the measured mass is sufficiently accurate; however, many of these elemental compositions represent large numbers of compounds. There are 127 compounds in the NIST08 Mass Spectral Database that have the elemental composition C10H20O. Without an accurate mass measurement, the challenge is even more overwhelming. The elemental composition C10H20O has a nominal mass of 156 Da. The NIST08 Mass Spectral Database has 684 compounds with this nominal mass. To get past this point of an elemental composition, fragmentation of the ion..
Combating Terrorism with Mass Spectrometry — Screening People for Explosives
July 1st 2009In this article, we review the capabilities and challenges of deploying mass spectrometry (MS) to homeland security screening requirements. The fidelity of MS for chemical analysis is well accepted; however, the effectiveness of an overall system in real-world work environments depends on solving big challenges in sample collection, speed of analysis, and ease-of-use, and maintaining continuous reliability. We compare MS to the more commonly used security method of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and illustrate the significant improvements that MS can provide. We then describe one of the first introductions of MS in homeland security, that being the screening of people for concealed explosives using a walk-through portal device.
An Acetonitrile Free Chromatographic Methodology for Melamine Detection and Quantitation With SFC
June 26th 2009The global economic downturn, particularly the collapse of the automotive and associated industries, has caused an overall reduction in the demand for acrylonitrile. Since acetonitrile is obtained as a co-product in the production of acrylonitrile, the pharmaceutical, food, environmental, and chemical industries are experiencing an unprecedented acetonitrile shortage. This shortage has resulted in a sharp price increase, in some cases as much as 6-8 times; and the price is projected to remain high even after the production returns to normal.
British research council launches consultation
June 26th 2009The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is launching a consultation on Next Generation Sequencing Technologies. The council is seeking comments from individuals and organizations from the UK?s academic and industrial research community about the potential impacts that these technologies can have on research in biosciences.
Chemical company's Asian acquisitions
June 26th 2009Speciality chemicals group LANXESS AG has made two acquisitions in Asia. The company will acquire the chemical businesses and assets of Gwalior Chemical Industries for €82.4 million. LANXESS will also acquire the business and production assets of Chinese-based Jiangsu Polyols Chemical Co.
Study of drug quality in the Indian market
June 26th 2009India is an increasingly influential player in the global pharmaceutical market. A pilot study, conducted in two major cities in India, Delhi and Chennai, explored the proliferation of substandard and counterfeit drugs in the market and discussed how the Indian state and federal governments could improve drug regulation and regulatory enforcement to combat this.
Characterization of Polyacrylnitrile
June 26th 2009In this application note GPC is used to easily and reliably analyze the molecular mass distribution of industrially produced polyacrylnitrile (PAN). Since this GPC application uses DMF and a small amount of lithium bromide as mobile phase, it will work on a standard HPLC system without any modifications.