Sample preparation is often a bottleneck in systems for chemical analysis. The aim of this work was to investigate and develop new techniques to address some of the shortcomings of current sample preparation methods. The goal has been to provide full automation, on-line coupling to detection systems, short sample preparation times and high-throughput.

In this work a new technique for sample preparation that can be connected on-line to liquid chromatography (LC) and gas chromatography (GC) has been developed. Microextraction in packed syringe (MEPS) is a new solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique that is miniaturized and can be fully automated. In MEPS approximately 1 mg of sorbent material is inserted into a gas tight syringe (100-250 μL) as a plug. Sample preparation takes place on the packed bed. Evaluation of the technique was done by the determination of local anaesthetics in human plasma samples using MEPS on-line with LC and tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS). MEPS connected to an autosampler was fully automated and clean-up of the samples took about one minute. In addition, in the case of plasma samples the same plug of sorbent could be used for about 100 extractions before it was discarded.

A further aim of this work was to increase sample preparation throughput. To do that disposable pipette tips were packed with a plug of porous polymer monoliths as sample adsorbent and were then used in connection with 96-well plates and LC-MS-MS. The evaluation of the methods was done by the analysis of local anaesthetics lidocaine and ropivacaine, and anti-cancer drug roscovitine in plasma samples. When roscovitine and lidocaine in human plasma and water samples were used as model substances, a 96-plate was handled in about two minutes. Further, disposable pipette tips may be produced at low cost and because they are used only once, carry-over is eliminated.

Sugarcane bagasse is a residue that results from the crushing of sugarcane in the sugar industry. Among the various agricultural crop residues, sugarcane bagasse is the most abundant lignocellulosic material in tropical and sub-tropical countries including South Africa. Bagasse is a renewable feedstock that can be used for power generation and manufacturing cellulosic ethanol In the sugarcane industries the bagasse is mainly burnt inefficiently in boilers that provide the heating for the industry. This project seeks to investigate the possibility of gasifying sugarcane bagasse as an efficient conversion technology. Proximate and ultimate analysis of sugarcane bagasse was conducted after which the results were used to conduct computer simulation of the mass and energy balance during gasification. This paper presents the proximate and ultimate analysis as well as the computer simulation results.

In this project, the optimization of obtaining adsorption isotherms for the ion pair reagent, tributylamine was tested. The goal was to have a better understanding of the chromatographic process when separating biomolecules, such as oligonucleotides. To do this one ion pair reagent was tested in different buffers with different compositions of acetonitrile. These solutions adsorbed into a C18 column at different temperatures and stripped into fractions of 35 mL. To analyze the results Liquid-liquid extraction was performed on the fractions and the organic phase was then injected into a gas chromatography. The results showed that at a temperature of 24°C the ion pair reagent adsorbed more to the column than at 37°C and 50°C. For the different compositions of acetonitrile buffers which were tested the one that stood out was the 50% acetonitrile buffert. At all temperature it showed to always be able to adsorb more to the column than the other buffers. To calculate the concentrations of the analytes, standard curves for both tributylamine and dibutylamine were made. For dibutylamine, four unknown samples were provided to test out if the methods could be used to determine the concentrations of dibutylamine in the samples. The methods for acquiring adsorption isotherms and analyzing samples with the gas chromatography showed good results and could be used for more studies. However, to validate the results of the 50% acetonitrile buffer, more work in the future is required. 

The final goal of this study is to establish a microscale analysis method that allows solution phase characterization of interactions between β₂-glycoprotein I (β₂gpI) and some of its ligands. Human β₂gpI is a phospholipid- and heparin-binding plasma glycoprotein. The physiological role of the protein in normal blood coagulation is not entirely known, nor is its role in autoimmune diseases characterized by blood clotting disturbances (thrombosis). Quantitative binding data of β₂gpI interactions with some of its ligands may help elucidating the mechanisms behind these diseases and in the development of new approaches for diagnostics, prevention, and therapy.

In this thesis, capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used as methodological platform for the interaction studies. The analysis of peptides and proteins by CE is desirable due to low sample consumption, possibilities for non-denaturing and highly effective separations. The first objective of this thesis was to find an approach to prevent charge dependent adsorption of β₂gpI to the inner surface of the capillaries. Analyte adsorption at the negatively charged inner surface of fused silica capillaries is detrimental to interaction analyses. This phenomenon is especially pronounced in the analysis of basic proteins and proteins containing exposed positively charged domains, such as β₂gpI. A new strategy to suppress these solute-wall interactions was devised, investigated and optimized. This strategy exploits the pH hysteresis behavior of fused silica surfaces, by simply performing an acidic pretreatment of the capillary. The results in this thesis show that the acidic pretreatment efficiently prevents protein adsorption.

We have used CE to evaluate the interaction between β₂-glycoprotein I (β₂gpI) and heparin. β₂gpI is a human plasma protein involved in the blood coagulation cascade. It is of interest to functionally characterize the interactions of β₂gpI because the exact function is not entirely known and because circulating autoantibodies against β₂gpI are associated with an increased risk of thrombotic events.

The effect of the ionic strength, temperature, and conformation of the protein on the interaction between β₂gpI and heparin has been studied. The CE procedure for this study is simple, fast and automatic. β₂gpI and heparin were allowed to interact during electrophoresis at different ionic strength buffers and at different capillary temperatures. To mimic perturbation of the conformation of β₂gpI, different denaturing agents (SDS, ACN and urea) were added to the background electrolyte. While simple 1:1 binding isotherms were obtained at 22 °C the data strongly suggests that at physiological temperature the binding stoichiometry is not 1:1 and/or that cooperative interactions begin to play a role. We found that (i) the K_D values differed by a factor of 60 at the ionic strengths studied (ii) β₂gpI was resistant to denaturation with SDS and ACN, but was partially denatured by urea and (iii) the K_D for the β₂gpI-heparin interaction in the presence of urea was 10 times higher than the K_D determined at the same conditions without urea added. Therefore, we conclude that the interaction between β₂gpI and heparin is dependent on electrostatic interactions and on the conformation of β₂gpI. 

Arvika Fjärrvärme AB is manufacturing and distributing district heating to around 300 customers in Arvika. Heat production consists of a BFB boiler fed with GROT fuel (branches and peaks) and delivers a maximum power of 30 MW. In order to operate the plant, an average of 60 m³ of water per day is consumed from the urban water network. The water consumption is divided between water treatment, sooting and process cooling.

In the processes, sulfur is dosed to obtain a more complete combustion of the hazardous flue gases that can occur. This is a result of previous thesis made for Arvika fjärrvärme. GROT is a fuel that contains high levels of moisture, which means that a high amount of condensate is formed during combustion, averaging 100 m³ per day. At present, condensate is sufficient to meet the condensate limit values ​​to be flushed into the drain. This is achieved by sand filtration and pH neutralization.

Today, Arvika heat production is equipped with a purification stage for the feed water consisting of a softening filter and membrane filtration. This creates good conditions for cleaning the condensate and recirculating it in the process. Questions for this study are which hazardous substances the condensate can contain and how the condensate composition affected due to sulfur dosage. In addition, Arvika fjärrvärme wants to find out whether the purified condensate can replace the use of the urban water and, finally, if the condensate can be purified and used as feed water in the process.

The execution of the work was based on a full-scale attempt in two operating cases of 9 and 18 MW. The tank collecting all condensate after purification in the sand filter and pH neutralization was coupled to the feed water purification stage. Thus, the condensate was pumped and purified in the softening filter and membrane filter. Assay substrates were collected before and after purification of the condensate.

In addition to the topics that Arvika investigates, high levels of alkalinity were found in the condensate. The sulfur dosage that Arvika technology works with can be the cause of the high concentrations of sulphate. However, it appears that both the sulfate and alkalinity were purified in the membrane filter.

The amount of condensate formed cannot completely replace the entire water requirement, but definitely large parts. The condensate can be used as feed water based on the retention rate for all substances. However, it appears that two substances, chloride and sulphate can create problems for the membrane filter. To investigate this, the condensate should be tested over a longer period of time to see the affect the chloride as well as the sulphate in the long run.

Chromatography is a widely used separation technique including many different modes, for example supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) which uses a supercritical fluid as mobile phase. A supercritical fluid is achieved when a substance is subjected to a temperature and pressure above the critical point and the boundary between the liquid phase and gas phase is erased. The interest for SFC has increased in recent years, mainly for separation of chiral molecules in the pharmaceutical industry. What makes SFC interesting is that it is a quick, cost-efficient and green method. This is in part due to less organic solvent used in the mobile phase in SFC compared with liquid chromatography and that the carbon dioxide that represents the major part of the mobile phase is a by-product from other processes.

In SFC modifiers, often small alcohols, are added to carbon dioxide based mobile phase in order to increase the solubility of polar compounds. In this study the adsorption of methanol to two different stationary phases; Kromasil-Diol and chiral Lux Cellulose-4 were studied. Adsorption is a phenomenon where surface interactions crate a higher density of molecules at the surface than in the bulk.

The aim of this work has been to study the adsorption of modifier (methanol) to the stationary phase both to determine the extent of adsorption and the kinetics for system equilibration. These findings were then put into perspective of normal use of SFC for separation of molecules.

There are a number of techniques for measuring adsorption; in this study the tracer pulse method is used. This is a pulse method where a concentration plateau is created and an isotope labelled molecule is injected. This was performed in the mobile phase composition from pure carbon dioxide to pure methanol. In addition to the tracer pulse experiments the isotope effect, the eluent flow, equilibration times for the column and retention times for a set of analytes were measured. For the Diol column no large isotope effect was observed, the method was also proved to be highly reproducible since several runs gave consistent results. Calculations based on the experimental data showed that a 6.3 Å thick layer was built up at a methanol fraction of 13% (v/v), corresponding to a monolayer. Changes of the methanol fraction below the saturation level has has greater effect on the retention factor for the analytes than at higher methanol fractions, when the monolayer was saturated. The conclusion of this is that SFC is more stable in the area where the layer has been built up.

A preliminary study has been made for the chiral Lux Cellulose-4 column which was not as conclusive as for the Kromasil-Diol column. This type of column needs further studies to confirm the deviating observations and to investigate the cause for these.

This thesis aims at a deeper understanding of Supercritical Fluid

Chromatography (SFC). Although preparative SFC has started to replace Liquid Chromatography (LC) in the pharmaceutical industry - because of its advantages in speed and its less environmental impact - fundamental understanding is still lacking. Therefore there is no rigid framework to characterize adsorption or to understand the impact of changes in operational conditions.

In Paper I we demonstrated, after careful system verification, that most methods applied to determine adsorption isotherms in LC could not be applied directly in SFC. This was mainly due to operational differences and to the fact that the fluid is compressible which means that everything considered constant in LC varies in SFC.

In Paper II we showed that the most accurate methods for adsorption isotherm determination in LC, the so called plateau methods, do not work properly for SFC. Instead, methods based on overloaded profiles should be preferred.

In Paper III a Design of Experiments approach was successfully used to quantitatively describe the retention behavior of several solutes and the productivity of a two component separation system. This approach can be used to optimize SFC separations or to provide information about the separation system.

In Paper IV severe peak distortion effects, suspected to arise from injection solvent and mobile phase fluid mismatches, were carefully investigated using experiments and simulations. By this approach it was possible to examine the underlying reasons for the distortions, which is vital for method development.

Finally, in Paper V, the acquired knowledge from Paper I-IV was used to perform reliable scale-up in an industrial setting for the first time. This was done by carefully matching the conditions inside the analytical and preparative column with each other. The results could therefore provide the industry with key knowledge for further implementation of SFC.

A B S T R A C T Here it was investigated how oligonucleotide retention and selectivity factors are affected by electrostatic and non-electrostatic interactions in ion pair chromatography. A framework was derived describing how selectivity depends on the electrostatic potential generated by the ion-pair reagent concentration, co-solvent volume fraction, charge difference between the analytes, and temperature. Isocratic experiments verified that, in separation problems concerning oligonucleotides of different charges, selectivity increases with increasing surface potential and analyte charge difference and with decreasing co-solvent volume fraction and temperature. For analytes of the same charge, for example, diastereomers of phosphorothioated oligonucleotides, selectivity can be increased by decreasing the co-solvent volume fraction or the temperature and has only a minor dependency on the ion-pairing reagent concentration. An important observation is that oligonucleotide retention is driven predominantly by electrostatic interaction generated by the adsorption of the ion-pairing reagent. We therefore compared classical gradient elution in which the co-solvent volume fraction increases over time versus gradient elution with a constant co-solvent volume fraction but with decreasing ion-pair reagent concentration over time. Both modes decrease the electrostatic potential. Oligonucleotide selectivity was found to increase with decreasing ion pairing reagent concentration. The two elution modes were finally applied to two different model anti sense oligonucleotide separation problems, and it was shown that the ion-pair reagent gradient increases the selectivity of non-charge & ndash;based separation problems while maintaining charge-difference & ndash;based selectivity. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Support vector regression models are created and used to predict the retention times of oligonucleotides separated using gradient ion-pair chromatography with high accuracy. The experimental dataset consisted of fully phosphorothioated oligonucleotides. Two models were trained and validated using two pseudo orthogonal gradient modes and three gradient slopes. The results show that the spread in retention time differs between the two gradient modes, which indicated varying degree of sequence dependent separation. Peak widths from the experimental dataset were calculated and correlated with the guanine cytosine content and retention time of the sequence for each gradient slope. This data was used to predict the resolution of the n - 1 impurity among 250 0 0 0 random 12-and 16-mer sequences; showing one of the investigated gradient modes has a much higher probability of exceeding a resolution of 1.5, particularly for the 16-mer sequences. Sequences having a high guanine-cytosine content and a terminal C are more likely to not reach critical resolution. The trained SVR models can both be used to identify characteristics of different separation methods and to assist in the choice of method conditions, i.e. to optimize resolution for arbitrary sequences. The methodology presented in this study can be expected to be applicable to predict retention times of other oligonucleotide synthesis and degradation impurities if provided enough training data.

A strategy to match any retention shifts due to increased or decreased pressure drop during supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) method transfer is presented. The strategy relies on adjusting the co-solvent molarity without the need to adjust the back-pressure regulator. Exact matching can be obtained with minimal changes in separation selectivity. To accomplish this, we introduce the isomolar plot approach, which shows the variation in molar co-solvent concentration depending on the mass fraction of co-solvent, pressure, and temperature, here exemplified by CO2-methanol. This plot allowed us to unify the effects of the co-solvent mass fraction and density on retention in SFC. The approach, which was verified on 12 known empirical retention models for each enantiomer of six basic pharmaceuticals, allowed us to numerically calculate the apparent retention factor for any column pressure drop. The strategy can be implemented either using a mechanistic approach if retention models are known or empirically by iteratively adjusting the co-solvent mass fraction. As a rule of thumb for the empirical approach, we found that the relative mass fraction adjustment needed is proportional to the relative change in the retention factor caused by a change in the pressure drop. Different proportionality constants were required to match retention in the case of increasing or decreasing pressure drops.

The adsorption equilibria of racemic methyl mandelate on a tris-(3,5- dimethylphenyl)carbamoyl cellulose chiral stationary phase (CSP) was investigated. The following were observed, the less retained enantiomer shows “Langmuirian” (type I) adsorption behavior, while the adsorption isotherm of the more retained compound contained an inflection point at low concentration. To analyze these differences, adsorption isotherms were determined and further analyzed using Scatchard plots and adsorption energy distribution (AED) calculations. The less retained enantiomer was best described by heterogeneous unimodal adsorption model (Tóth) while the second enantiomer was best described with a heterogeneous adsorption model with adsorbate-adsorbate interactions (bi-Moreau). The adsorption behavior of both enantiomers was also studied at several different temperatures and it was found to be exothermic; in addition, the non-idealadsorbate-adsorbate interaction strength decreases with increasing temperature. Stochastic analysis of the adsorption process could identify a single kinetic site for each enantiomer. The average amount of adsorption/desorption events increases and the sojourn time decreases with increasing temperature. This is an industrial – academic cooperation in the Fundamental Separation Science Group www.separationscience.se

Ion-pair chromatography is the de facto standard for separating oligonucleotides and related impurities, particularly for analysis but also often for small-scale purification. Currently, there is limited understanding of the quantitative modeling of both analytical and overloaded elution profiles obtained during gradient elution in ion-pair chromatography. Here we will investigate a recently introduced gradient mode, the so-called ion-pairing reagent gradient mode, for both analytical and overloaded separations of oligonucleotides. The first part of the study demonstrates how the electrostatic theory of ion-pair chromatography can be applied for modeling gradient elution of oligonucleotides. When the ion-pair gradient mode is used in a region where the electrostatic surface potential can be linearized, a closed-form expression of retention time can be derived. A unified retention model was then derived, applicable for both ion-pair reagent gradient mode as well as co-solvent gradient mode. The model was verified for two different experimental systems and homo- and heteromeric oligonucleotides of different lengths. Quantitative modeling of overloaded chromatography using the ion-pairing reagent gradient mode was also investigated. Firstly, a unified adsorption isotherm model was developed for both gradient modes. Then, adsorption isotherms parameter of a model oligonucleotide and two major synthetic impurities were estimated using the inverse method. Secondly, the parameters of the adsorption isotherm were then used to investigate how the productivity of oligonucleotide varies with injection volume, gradient slope, and initial retention factor. Here, the productivity increased when using a shallow gradient slope combined with a low initial retention factor. Finally, experiments were conducted to confirming some of the model predictions. Comparison with the conventional co-solvent gradient mode showed that the ion-pairing reagent gradient leads to both higher yield and productivity while consuming less co-solvent.

Three different, commercially available, Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC) systems were investigated: Thar Super Pure Discovery Series SFC, Waters UPC2 and Agilent 1260 Infinity SFC. The reason for choosing the two analytical systems from Agilent and Waters is that they represent two of the latest commercial systems available while the semi-preparative instrument was added to widen the study to include instruments also used for preparative purposes. With identical operational conditions set these systems were used to acquire analytical retention data and adsorption isotherms from overloaded injections. The investigation was limited to the use of methanol as modifier and operational conditions, temperature and back pressure most typically observed when utilizing SFC to separate polar compounds. The results clearly show that both analytical retention times and elution profiles are system dependent. Since the overloaded elution profiles are system dependent the adsorption isotherm will also be different. However, this do not mean that the adsorption is different, instead this it is due to the fact that identical instrumental settings, especially pressure and modifier composition settings, does not necessarily mean that the conditions inside the column are identical. This means that it is not possible to transfer an established separation method from one system to another, even if one is using the same column and identical instrument settings. Understanding of SFC-systems will be of fundamental importance for successful transfer of methods between systems, reliable adsorption isotherm determination, and analytical quality work and scaling up from analytical to preparative mode. These issues can probably be solved by measuring mass flow, pressure and temperature along the column, together with a sound understanding of the density variations of the mobile phase. However, the work of finding acceptable applications or guidelines to remove the tedious need for these measurements is currently investigated in our lab. This is a contribution from the Fundamental Separation Science Group www.FSSG.se

Recently the pharmaceutical industry has started to replace preparative HPLC with preparative SFC to lower the environmental impact and to increase performance. Reliable characterization of the adsorption processes in SFC is therefore of utmost importance. The key thermodynamic phase system information is obtained by rigorous determination of adsorption isotherm data over a broad concentration range. If properly processed, this data gives not only correct information about the degree of heterogeneity but also the energy of interactions and mono layer capacities of each individual type of adsorption site in the phase system. Ultimately, this can result in identification of the types of interactions, i.e., dipole-dipole, van der Waals interactions etc. In this study we will present transfer of selected adsorption characterization methods, traditionally applied with success in LC, to SFC. We have here transferred all available knowledge from LC – from model selection to validation. We will also, using recent findings, explain the effects of pressure and temperature variations as well as how to accurately measure the volumetric flow rate on a modern analytical SFC system. We will demonstrate how the latest SFC instruments, with some critical modifications; have the potential for rapid and reliable acquisition of thermodynamic data using the ECP method. Finally we will elaborate on how the adsorption depends on density, temperature and modifier content in the mobile phase. This is a contribution from the Fundamental Separation Science Group www.FSSG.se

Enantiomeric separation of omeprazole has been extensively studied regarding both product analysis and preparation using several different chiral stationary phases. In this study, the preparative chiral separation of omeprazole is optimized for productivity using three different columns packed with amylose tris (3,5-dimethyl phenyl carbamate) coated macroporous silica (5, 10 and 25 Όm) with a maximum allowed pressure drop ranging from 50 to 400 bar. This pressure range both covers low pressure process systems (50–100 bar) and investigates the potential for allowing higher pressure limits in preparative applications in a future. The process optimization clearly show that the larger 25 Όm packing material show higher productivity at low pressure drops whereas with increasing pressure drops the smaller packing materials have substantially higher productivity. Interestingly, at all pressure drops, the smaller packing material result in lower solvent consumption (L solvent/kg product); the higher the accepted pressure drop, the larger the gain in reduced solvent consumption. The experimental adsorption isotherms were not identical for the different packing material sizes; therefore all calculations were recalculated and reevaluated assuming identical adsorption isotherms (with the 10 Όm isotherm as reference) which confirmed the trends regarding productivity and solvent consumption.

Recently the pharmaceutical industry has started to replace HPLC with SFC because of incentives to lower the environmental impact and as well as increasing performance. Reliable characterization of the adsorption processes in SFC, is therefore of utmost importance. The key thermodynamic phase system information is obtained by rigorous determination of adsorption isotherms over a broad concentration range. If properly processed, this data gives not only correct information about the degree of heterogeneity but also the values of the energy of interactions and monolayer capacities of each individual type of adsorption site in the phase system; ultimately, this can result in identification of the types of interactions (dipole-dipole, van der Waals interactions etc.). In this study, we will present the transfer of LC adsorption characterization methods to SFC conditions using several model compounds with several different methods for adsorption isotherm determination traditionally applied with success in LC, and now modified for SFC. We have limited our investigation to methanol as modifier and used the operational conditions, temperature and backpressure most typically observed in industrial settings; in addition, we have used commercial standard SFC-equipment. The results clearly shows that adsorption isotherm determinations in SFC are considerably more complicated than in LC; we will go through the most important pitfalls and give guidelines for more rigorous determinations of adsorption data in SFC. This is an industrial – academic cooperation in the Fundamental Separation Science Group www.separationscience.se

An interesting adsorption behavior of racemic methyl mandelate on a tris-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)carbamoyl cellulose chiral stationary phase was theoretically and experimentally investigated. The overloaded band of the more retained enantiomer had a peculiar shape indicating a type V adsorption isotherm whereas the overloaded band of the less retained enantiomer had a normal shape indicating a type I adsorption behavior. For a closer characterization of this separation, adsorption isotherms were determined and analyzed using an approach were Scatchard plots and adsorption energy distribution (AED) calculations are combined for a deeper analysis. It was found that the less retained enantiomer was best described by a Tóth adsorption isotherm while the second one was best described with a bi-Moreau adsorption isotherm. The latter model comprises non-ideal adsorbate–adsorbate interactions, providing an explanation to the non-ideal adsorption of the more retained enantiomer. Furthermore, the possibility of using the Moreau model as a local model for adsorption in AED calculations was evaluated using synthetically generated raw adsorption slope data. It was found that the AED accurately could predict the number of adsorption sites for the generated data. The adsorption behavior of both enantiomers was also studied at several different temperatures and found to be exothermic; i.e. the adsorbate–adsorbate interaction strength decreases with increasing temperature. Stochastic analysis of the adsorption process revealed that the average amount of adsorption/desorption events increases and the sojourn time decreases with increasing temperature.

Abstract In SFC the sample cannot be dissolved in the mobile phase, so it is often dissolved in pure modifier, or another liquid, sometimes resulting in serious distortions of the eluted peak profiles already at moderately high injection volumes. It is suspected the reasons for these effects are solvent strength mismatch and/or viscosity mismatch. This study presents a systematic and fundamental investigation of the origin of these peak deformations due to the injection solvent effects in SFC, using both systematic experiments and numerical modeling. The first set of experiments proved that the injection volume and the elution strength of the sample solution had a major impact of the shapes of the eluted peaks. Secondly, the sample band elution profile was numerically modeled on a theoretical basis assuming both un-retained and retained co-solvent injection plugs, respectively. These calculations quantitatively confirmed our first set of experiments but also pointed out that there is also an additional significant effect. Third, viscous fingering experiments were performed using viscosity contrast conditions imitating those encountered in SFC. These experiments clearly proved that viscous fingering effects play a significant role. A new method for determination of adsorption isotherms of solvents was also developed, called the “Retention Time Peak Method” (RTPM). The RTPM was used for fast estimation of the adsorption isotherms of the modifier and required using only two experiments.

The magnitude of an electric field possible to apply in a capillary separation system is limited, because a high electric field causes a too high current through the capillary. Application of the electric field in-line will give an increased conductivity in the column, further increasing the risk of too high currents. The conductivity changes were found to result from an overall increase in ionic strength within the electric field. The increase in ionic strength is caused by the increase in mobile phase ions with electrophoretic velocity against the flow, together with OH^- or H₃O⁺ ions (depending on polarity) formed at the inlet electrode. Further it was found that the use of a pressurized reservoir or splitting of the flow at the inlet electrode could significantly limit the conductivity changes and thereby the maximum applicable electric field strengths could be increased.

In recent decades, there has been a trend toward using larger biological molecules as new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) instead of the classical small organic API molecules. More recently, this trend has shifted from very large biomolecules toward intermediate-sized APIs, such as oligonucleotide therapeutics. Because of their fundamental role in gene regulation, therapeutic oligonucleotides can be directed against their specific ribonucleic acid (RNA) targets, representing a promising customized approach for the treatment of hitherto incurable diseases. There are several FDA-approved oligonucleotide-based therapeutics and many more are awaiting approval. The complicated synthesis and degradation pathways of oligonucleotides, involving sophisticated new chemical modifications, generate hundreds of impurities, in contrast to classical small APIs, which typically contain only around three to five well-defined impurities (Fig. 1). Therefore, this new class of putative drugs entails challenging separation tasks: for example, a small mass change such as 1 Da must be distinguished in a 10,000 Da parent molecule for purposes of both quantification and purification and at extremely high resolution. All therapeutic oligonucleotides must be chemically modified before entering the body. One such modification is the phosphorothioate (PS) modification, which generates diastereomers: for a 20-nucleotide-long PS oligonucleotide, this exceeds half a million diastereomers. In this review, we will examine recently published ion-pair liquid chromatographic separation strategies to meet current challenges in oligonucleotide separations. Ion-exchange chromatography will be briefly discussed based on its merits for large-scale purification. The review focuses on studies combining theory and practice and aiming at the analysis and preparative separation necessary for performing reliable quality control as well as purification. All relevant aspects of the separation systems will be discussed, including the stationary phase, pore size, mobile phase, and ion-pairing reagents. We will also discuss how the properties of the oligonucleotide and its impurities can be exploited to increase separation selectivity. A particular focus will be on the adsorption of ion-pairing reagent and the electrostatic surface potential it generates, allowing for interaction with the highly charged oligonucleotides. Furthermore, the effects of various gradient modes to decrease the electrostatic potential and thereby elute oligonucleotides will be covered. 

The fundamental aspects to be considered during method transfer in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) are reviewed. The review is limited to mobile phases, stationary phases, and operating conditions generally encountered in current practice. First, the fundamentals of retention in SFC will be explored in relation to fluid composition, co-solvent adsorption to the stationary phase, pressure, and temperature. Second, considerations regarding predictable method transfer will be discussed in relation to instrumentation, columns, retention shifts, and method robustness. This review is not intended to be comprehensive but rather to highlight important issues for understanding and performing reliable method transfer and to give practical guidelines relating to the fundamentals covered.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate, with experiments and with computer simulations based on a firm chromatographic theory, that the wide spread perception of that the United States Pharmacopeia tailing factor must be lower than 2 (Tf < 2) is questionable when using the latest generation of LC equipment. It is shown that highly efficient LC separations like those obtained with sub-2 ÎŒm porous and 2.7 ÎŒm superficially porous particles (UHPLC) produce significantly higher Tf -values than the corresponding separation based on 3 ÎŒm porous particles (HPLC) when the same amount of sample is injected. Still UHPLC separations provide a better resolution to adjacent peaks. Expressions have been derived that describe how the Tf-value changes with particle size or number of theoretical plates. Expressions have also been derived that can be used to scale the injection volume based on particle size or number of theoretical plates to maintain the Tf-value when translating a HPLC separation to the corresponding UHPLC separation. An aspect that has been ignored in previous publications. Finally, data obtained from columns with different age/condition indicate that Tf-values should be complemented by a peak width measure to provide a more objective quality measure.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate, with experiments and with computer simulations based on a firm chromatographic theory, that the wide spread perception of that the United States Pharmacopeia tailing factor must be lower than 2 (Tf < 2) is questionable when using the latest generation of LC equipment. It is shown that highly efficient LC separations like those obtained with sub-2 m porous and 2.7 m superficially porous particles (UHPLC) produce significantly higher Tf-values than the corresponding separation based on 3 m porous particles (HPLC) when the same amount of sample is injected. Still UHPLC separations provide a better resolution to adjacent peaks. Expressions have been derived that describe how the Tf-value changes with particle size or number of theoretical plates. Expressions have also been derived that can be used to scale the injection volume based on particle size or number of theoretical plates to maintain the Tf-value when translating a HPLC separation to the corresponding UHPLC separation. This aspect has been ignored in previous publications. Finally, data obtained from columns with different age/condition indicate that Tf-values should be complemented by a peak width measure to provide a more objective quality measure. A plan to take a further step for using Quality by Design (QbD) related to analytical methods will also be presented [Ref 1]. Continuous improvement of an original HPLC method to an UHPLC method will be the used as a case study. The capability of the two methods will be deeply studied using mechanistic comparisons. Method criteria that must be fulfilled for the two chromatographic methods will be stated. [1] 2012 PDA Europe Workshop Quality by Design The Role of Analytical Science in Implementing QbD − Technical and Regulatory Aspects, Liverpool UK 6-7 March. This is an industrial – academic cooperation in the Fundamental Separation S

This poster serves as background information to the corresponding lecture. Adsorption isotherms are essential in order to understand the interaction between small molecules such as pharmaceutical compounds and larger biomolecules. An adsorption isotherm describes the relationship of free substance in a solution with adsorbed substance to a surface, at a specific and constant temperature. Adsorption isotherms could be determined using several different method, all method have their pros and cons. In this study we are using two modern but principally different biosensors to determine interactions: quarts micro-balance (QCM) and Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to determine interactions. For a long time adsorption isotherms has been determined solely by the chromatographic community. In this study we will present transformation of adsorption analysis tools from chromatography to biosensors, especially calculation of adsorption energy distribution prior adsorption model fit. We will also discuss how the experiments should be conducted. Guidelines will be given for the experimental setup and for when the chromatographic or a biosensor technique is to be preferred. This is a contribution from the Fundamental Separation Science Group in Karlstad www.separationscience.se

The estimation of reliable adsorption / equilibrium data are crucial for researchers in a wide range of fields such as analytical chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics. Traditionally, equilibrium data are simply estimated from the statistically best-fitted model to adsorption data; but there are many dangerous pitfalls on this road. We have therefore recently improved several methods for adsorption isotherm determinations. As example, the accuracy of generating adsorption data by the elution by characteristic points (ECP) method was increased considerably by a new experimental approach that eliminated the post-loop dispersion; the method was also expanded to cover more different general types of adsorption isotherms than before. We have also made important improvements on the processing and evaluation of the data based on a firm theoretical basis. In this context, a new numerical tool was developed, calculation of the adsorption energy distribution (AED) allowing the estimation of the degree of heterogeneity of the interaction prior to the rival model fit. This concept has also been transposed to modern biosensors such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology and continuous flow quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). We have utilized the improvements of generating and evaluation adsorption data to reveal more detailed information about molecular interactions in systems aimed at analytical and preparative separations and to understand better bio-molecular interactions derived from modern biosensors. This is a contribution from the Fundamental Separation Science Group in Karlstad www.separationscience.se

This poster will also serves as background information to the lecture “Deeper insights in retention mechanisms and molecular interactions through improved methods for generating and evaluation adsorption data”. Adsorption isotherms are essential in order to understand the interaction between small molecules such as pharmaceutical compounds and larger biomolecules. An adsorption isotherm describes the relationship of free substance in a solution with adsorbed substance to a surface, at a specific and constant temperature. Adsorption isotherms could be determined using several different method, all method have their pros and cons. In this study we are using two modern but principally different biosensors to determine interactions: quarts micro-balance (QCM) and Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to determine interactions. For a long time adsorption isotherms has been determined solely by the chromatographic community. In this study we will present transformation of adsorption analysis tools from chromatography to biosensors, especially calculation of adsorption energy distribution prior adsorption model fit. We will also discuss how the experiments should be conducted. Guidelines will be given for the experimental setup and for when the chromatographic or a biosensor technique is to be preferred. This is a contribution from the Fundamental Separation Science Group in Karlstad www.separationscience.se

To simulate the separation process in liquid chromatography, the competitive adsorption isotherms need to be known. In gradient elution, the adsorption isotherms are determined with isocratic experiments on different mobile-phase plateaus, levels covering the range used in the gradient program. This can lead to extreme retention times for some mobile-phase compositions and therefore it might even be impossible to determine all necessary adsorption data using the traditional isocratic approach. In this talk, we will present a method where single and competitive nonlinear adsorption isotherms are determined directly from overloaded elution profiles in gradient elution. The numerical coefficients in the adsorption isotherms are determined by the inverse method that minimizes the difference between calculated and experimental elution profiles. This is a new method where the need for tedious/impossible isocratic experiments is eliminated. The method is systematically verified using both synthetic and experimental data. Finally the new method is used to successfully predict elution profiles for a two-component mixture in gradient elution. The new method open up the opportunity to study the adsorption of substances whose retention factor vary strongly with the mobile-phase composition, like peptides and proteins, where the classic methods will fail. We also intend to transfer the metholology for SFC in near future; but there are some problems to be solved first (see our SFC posters). This is a contribution from the Fundamental Separation Science Group www.FSSG.se

In order to increase the analysis frequency and thereby achieve a better understanding of the kinetics and dynamics of the chemical process without increasing the workload of the already strained analytical laboratory at Cambrex Karlskoga AB, this projects goal was to investigate whether a crude prototype for mobile on-line HPLC-analysis with automatic sampling and dilution could be built based on certain flow-injection analysis techniques. It was possible to achieve dilution with good repeatability even though saturation effects in the filter proved problematic. Separation and dilution of a binary mixture was also successful as proof-ofconcept.

This study is an in-depth investigation on how numerical optimization strategies that also account forthe additive type and concentration, in preparative batch chromatography, should be performed. As amodel system, the separation of Z-(R,S)-2-aminobutyric acid enantiomers on a quinidine carbamate-based chiral stationary phase in polar organic mode was used, with different additive strengths of aceticacid or hexanoic acid in methanol. The inverse method was used to determine the competitive adsorp-tion isotherm parameters for the enantiomers and the additives. Three different optimization strategieswere examined: (1) injection volume optimization, (2) optimization of injection volume and additiveconcentration, and (3) full optimization including injection volume, additive concentration, sample con-centration and flow rate. It was concluded that (i) it is important to incorporate the additive concentrationin the optimization procedure to achieve the highest production rates, (ii) the full optimization strategyhad the overall best results, and (iii) the selection of additive is very important (here acetic acid additivewas superior to the hexanoic acid additive). By including the additive in the adsorption model and inthe numerical optimization it is not only possible to achieve higher production rates but also to properlyselect the additive that is most advantageous for the specific separation problem.

In computer assisted optimization of liquid chromatography it has been known for some years that it is important to use experimental injection profiles, instead of rectangular ones, in order to calculate accurate elution bands. However, the incorrectly assumed rectangular profiles are still mostly used especially in numerical optimizations. The reason is that the acquisition of injection profiles, for each injection volume and each flow rate considered in a computer-assisted optimization requires a too large number of experiments. In this article a new function is proposed, which enables highly accurate predictions of the injection profiles and thus more accurate computer optimizations, with a minimum experimental effort. To model the injection profiles for any injection volume at a constant flow rate, as few as two experimental injection profiles are required. If it is desirable to also take the effect of flow rate on the injection profiles into account, then just two additional experiments are required. The overlap between fitted and experimental injection profiles at different flow rates and different injection volumes were excellent, more than 90%, using experimental injection profiles from just four different injection volumes at two different flow rates. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the flow rate has a minor influence on the injection profiles and that the injection volume is the main parameter that needs to be accounted for.

Starting out from an experimental chiral separation system we have used computer simulations for a systematic investigation on how the maximum productivity depends on changes in column length, packing particle size, column efficiency, back pressure, sample concentration/solubility, selectivity, retention factor of the first eluting component and monolayer saturation capacity. The study was performed by changing these parameters, one at a time, and then calculating the corresponding change in maximum productivity. The three most important parameters for maximum production rate was found to be (i) the selectivity (ii) the retention factor of the first eluting component and (iii) the column length. Surprisingly, the column efficiency and sample concentration/solubility were of minor importance. These findings can be used as rough guidelines for column selection, e.g. a low-efficiency column are more likely perform better, in terms of productivity, than a high-efficiency column that have higher retention factor for the first eluting component.

The adsorption isotherm of two weak bases, Promethazine hydrochloride and Propranolol hydrochloride, were determined with isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatography, with a 60 w% methanol in 20 mM sodium acetate buffer pH 4 as the mobile phase, and calculated by the elution by characteristic points method. The data obtained from the method were then fitted into the Langmuir isotherm and the electrostatically modified Langmuir. Propranolol fitted reasonably good into the models while Promethazine was not as good. When Promethazine and Propranolol were together in the same sample, there was indication of competition of the adsorption sites. For comparing retention and peak shape between a C18 column and a mixed mode column, Waters XBridge C18 and Thermo Scientific Acclaim WCX-1, were tested in gradient elution with 11.32 mM sodium acetate buffer and 10–70 % methanol. The mixed-mode column gave significantly better peak shapes, while the retention time were longer compared to the C18 column.

Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) separates molecules based on their actual size rather than their molecular weight. This indicates that the smaller a molecule is, the longer it will be held in the column since it can penetrate the pores more effectively than a bigger molecule, resulting in a longer retention time, whereas the larger molecule has a shorter retention time. In order to achieve reliable and accurate results the asymmetry factor of the packed columns should be between 0.6-1.4.

The aim for this project was to examine whether or not the batch variations of the base matrix used to derive WorkBeads™ 40S and 40Q displayed either hydrophobic or hydrophilic interactions by running different types of proteins through columns packed with the base matrices. The project was performed using an ÄKTA explorer equipped with an ultraviolet (UV) detector and a refractive index detector (RID). The data was gathered and analyzed with the Unicorn™ by Cytiva.

The results from the first experiments showed that lysozyme did not elute as expected or not at all, thus leading to a concern that the there might be some hydrophobic interactions in the base matrix, which is a porous media in the form of spherical particles that have been selected for their physical stability and inertness (lack of reactivity and adsorptive properties), and lysozyme. With this suspicion in mind, the different batches of the base matrix underwent hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC), where the results may be interpreted in a way that there might electrostatic interactions instead of hydrophobic interactions. However, due to the gel not being suitable for HIC the results were unreliable.

By subsequently running lysozyme and other proteins through the columns at different NaCl concentrations the results showed consistent elution at NaCl concentrations > 150 mM, yet inconsistent at a concentration of 150 mM for lysozyme. The elution order by size showed that although lysozyme has a larger hydrodynamic radius (Rh) than cytochrome c it eluted later, which is theoretically incorrect, but it might be owing to some of the base matrix's characteristics or the lysozyme's dual nature of expressing both hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions on the base matrix. Because of the inconsistent results from lysozyme, another experiment just at 150 mM was conducted where lysozyme did elute consistently with a KD value < 1. 

Lastly, a titration was performed on the base matrix where some of it was brominated and some of it was not, which was the reference. The results showed that there could be hydrophobic interactions on the brominated sample and hydrophilic interactions on the reference sample. However, what is more likely is that lysozyme is an unreliable protein to use to determine hydrophobicity on this type of gel.

In supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), the eluent is composed by carbon dioxide, often with additional components, in a condition between gas and liquid. This thesis aims to reach a deeper understanding of SFC by revealing the function of the additional eluent components through systematic adsorption studies.

In Paper I, investigation of surface excess adsorption isotherms of methanol revealed that a monolayer of methanol was formed. In Paper II, severe peak deformation effects due to this adsorption were shown. The findings in these papers revealed that a competitive additive model best predicts the solute retention at low methanol fractions whereas at higher fractions, methanol acts just as a modifier. In Paper III, the generality of the effects was proven by investigation of several co-solvent and stationary phase combinations. In Paper IV it was investigated how the robustness of SFC separations depend on the co-solvent adsorption, pressure, and temperature. In Paper V, the impact of the addition of amine additives was investigated. Two different mechanisms for solute peak deformations were observed.

The knowledge achieved about SFC in this theses provides guidelines for development of more robust SFC methods where peak deformations/distortions can be avoided.

In supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), the retention of a solute depends on the temperature, density, pressure, and cosolvent fraction. Here, we investigate how the adsorption of the cosolvent MeOH changes with pressure and temperature and how this affects the retention of several solutes. The lower the pressure, the stronger the MeOH adsorption to the stationary phase; in addition, at low pressure, perturbing the pressure results in significant changes in the amounts of MeOH adsorbed to the stationary phase. The robustness of the solute retention was lowest when operating the systems at low pressures, high temperatures, and low cosolvent fractions in the eluent. Here, we found a clear relationship between the sensitivity of MeOH adsorption to the stationary phase and the robustness of the separation system. Finally, we show that going from classical SFC to ultrahigh-performance SFC (UHPSFC), that is, separations conducted with much smaller packing diameters, results in retention factors that are more sensitive to fluctuations in the flow rate than with traditional SFC. The calculated density profiles indicate only a slight density drop over the traditional SFC column (3%, visualized as lighter -> darker blue in the TOC), whereas the drop for the UHPSFC one was considerably larger (20%, visualized as dark red -> light green in the TOC). The corresponding temperature drops were calculated to be 0.8 and 6.5 degrees C for the SFC and UHPSFC systems, respectively. These increased density and temperature drops are the underlying reasons for the decreased robustness of UHPSFC.

The impact of eluent components added to improve separation performance in supercritical fluid chromatography was systematically, and fundamentally, investigated. The model system comprised basic pharmaceuticals as solutes and eluents containing three amines (i.e., triethylamine, diethylamine, and isopropylamine) as additives with MeOH as the co-solvent. First, an analytical-scale study was performed, systematically investigating the impact of the additives/co-solvent on solute peak shapes and retentions, using a design of experiments approach; here, the total additive concentration in the eluent ranged between 0.021 and 0.105 % (v/v) and the total MeOH fraction in the eluent between 16 and 26 % (v/v). The co-solvent fraction was found to be the most efficient tool for adjusting retentions, whereas the additive fraction was the prime tool for improving column efficiency and peak analytical performance. Next, the impacts of the amine additives on the shapes of the so-called overloaded solute elution profiles were investigated. Two principal types of preparative peak deformations appeared and were investigated in depth, analyzed using computer simulation with mechanistic modeling. The first type of deformation was due to the solute eluting too close to the additive perturbation peak, resulting in severe peak deformation caused by co-elution. The second type of deformation was also due to additive–solute interactions, but here the amine additives acted as kosmotropic agents, promoting the multilayer adsorption to the stationary phase of solutes with bulkier aryl groups.

Tributylamine (TBuA) and triethylamine (TEtA) are the most commonly used ion pair reagents in ion pair chromatography especially for the analysis of oligonucleotides. In order to improve the understanding of the retention and separation mechanism of oligonucleotides in ion pair chromatography, it is important to understand the retention mechanism and the nature of interaction of these ion pair reagents with the stationary phase in the chromatographic column. Adsorption isotherm is helpful in evaluating such interactions, and subsequently predicting the retention mechanism. Alkylamines are very polar molecules which lack suitable chromophore and are commonly present in charged forms. Therefore, their determination and the subsequent acquisition of their adsorption isotherms using traditional liquid chromatography is very difficult. In this study, we first developed an analytical method for the determination of TBuA and TEtA in a typical chromatographic mobile phase (acetonitrile-water) and then used the same method to acquire the adsorption isotherms for tributylammonium acetate (TBuAA) and triethylammonium acetate (TEtAA). This method started with the conversion of the alkylammonium ions to free neutral forms by treating the sample with a strong base, followed by pentane-mediated extraction and finally the analysis of the extracts using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). This three-step method was validated for parameters like range, linearity, intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy, limit of detection and limit of quantitation. For the adsorption isotherms, the C18 column was first equilibrated with the solutions having different concentrations of alkylammonium ions and then stripped with eluent devoid of alkylammonium ions. Several stripping eluents were investigated and it was discovered that the eluent requirement could be decreased by the addition of sodium chloride. The effluents from the stripping phase were collected and analyzed using the developed analytical method to acquire the adsorption data. Under the investigated conditions, adsorption of TBuAA and TEtAA showed type III and type I isotherm behavior respectively. 

Gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography are common techniques to analyse many type of samples. Sample preparation is the first step and play an important role in the process of quantitative analysis. Sample preparation can have a major effect in the overall accuracy and reliability of the results. The aim of this step is to provide a sample aliquot that will not damage the column or instrument, have appropriate concentration, and is compatible with the intended analytical method. In the process of sample preparation and analysis, different errors may influence the results. Internal standards are usually used to limit these errors. The data in report I and II shows that the internal standard has helped to reduce errors due to sample preparation and the factors affecting results such as variations in injection volumes, evaporation of solvent and instability in detection.

The properties of industrially produced pulp and corresponding cooked pulp devised in the laboratory were studied during the first part of this project. The industrial pulp proved to have a lower surface charge compared to the laboratory-cooked pulp, while similar results were obtained during total charge analysis. Regarding properties such as fiber width and fiber length, no major differences between the pulps were found, and during the analysis of the total content of individual monosaccharides, only the amount of xylose differed showing a slightly lower amount for the laboratory-cooked pulp. Part two of the project included a method formation for analyzing the carbohydrate composition on the surface of pulp fibers. The sample containing polysaccharides was hydrolyzed with a mixture of cellulase and hemicellulase which resulted in gradual fiber peeling. The method itself may in fact need further development, but overall the test generated a positive outcome. To desalinate and lower the content of sugars within the enzyme mix before hydrolysis along with using calibration solutions containing enzymes were shown to be important factors in retaining optimal results.

This work focuses on wood extractives in effluents from the CTMP plant at Skoghall Mill. Pulp and paper industry effluents contain mostly natural compounds which are part of the trees. They are toxic to aquatic life but harmless in nature, as they are present in low concentrations. Processing tons of wood, such as in a pulp mill, strongly increases the concentrations of the toxic compounds (Ali, M. and Sreekrishnan, T., 2001) which have to be treated before transferring to the aquatic environment.Extractives can be found in different forms, as micelles soluble in water, unprocessed in fibers or absorbed on the surface of fibers. It is important to know in which forms extractives are mostly present in the effluent, so that they can be treated more efficiently. It is desired to have extractives absorbed on the fibers and fibrils present in the waste water, so they can be separated from the water and treated separately, e.g. burned for energy recovery. Dissolved extractives complicate the oxygen transfer in an aerated biological treatment step with their surface active properties (Sandberg, 2012).The aim of this study is quantification of extractives on the fibers suspended in the waste water and extractives dissolved in the water. The distribution between the two forms is an important input when designing future effluent treatment. Wood extractives itself are a wide group with different compounds. This work focuses on the main groups present in waste water: resin acids, free and esterified fatty acids and, free and esterified sterols. These groups are analyzed in different process waters and waste water before the waste water treatment plant. The measured concentrations of extractives were as expected, higher in process and effluent waters, lower in white water. Most of the extract was dissolved in the water and unfortunately fiber samples contained very low concentration from the total extract in the samples.

Oligonucleotides may become a new class of therapies with the potential of curing many today untreatable diseases. Oligonucleotides becomes increasingly more difficult to separate with an increase in length since the relative difference in retention of these very similar compounds becomes increasingly smaller. Therefore, coelution of impurities formed during synthesis may result in insufficient purity, which is necessary for therapeutic treatments. Oligonucleotides are also relatively large biomolecules, possibly consisting of hundreds of nucleotides. As a result, oligonucleotides may have limited diffusion through the stationary phase pores which affects separation performance. Surprisingly few studies have be published in this research area and a wider knowledge in how this affects separation is needed. In this master thesis, separation of deoxythymidine oligonucleotides with 5-30 mers in length were separated with 60, 100, 200 and 300 Å pore size reversed phase C4 columns. It was concluded that pore size resulted in more restricted diffusion if insufficient pore size was used. Poor peak performance was also observed with too large pore sizes which lead to less efficient separations.

Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a cyclic undecapolypeptide of fungal origin (Tolypocladium inflatum Gams). It has a molecular weight of 1202.6 Da and is used as an immunouppressive drug to prevent rejection of transplanted organs and bone marrow, and for the treatment of graft-versus-host disease. CsA exhibits a narrow therapeutic range between efficacy and toxicity. There are many side effects exerted by the drug and some of them are serious, such as renal dysfunction and increased risk of developing diabetes and malignant diseases such as lymphoma. In addition, the inter-individual and intra-individual pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variability is large. Constant monitoring of the CsA-concentration is therefore mandatory. 

There are several analytical methods available for the determination of CsA, such as immunoassays, liquid chromatography (HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The department of Clinical Chemistry at the Central Hospital in Karlstad has for many years used a radioimmunoassay, the CYCLO-Trac SP^® from DiaSorin, for CsA-determinations. The laboratory wants to replace this method, which uses radioactive isotopes, with a faster and more selective LC-MS/MS method. 

In this work a LC-MS/MS method, utilizing positive electrospray, with a fast sample preparation and chromatography for the determination of CsA in whole blood has been developed and validated. Two protein precipitation procedures were evaluated for sample preparation during the method development and two different internal standards were tested; the CsA analog cyclosporine D (CsD) and an isotope labelled CsA (d₁₂-CsA). The LC-MS/MS assay was fully validated and implemented in the routine work at the laboratory on November 1 2009. Results from both the CYCLO-Trac SP^® method and the LC-MS/MS assay will be reported for at least five months.