This thesis investigates the development of new methodology for the identification and quantification of organic phosphorus compounds in environmental samples. Phosphorus is a vital element for primary production and one of the factors contributing to eutrophication. Eutrophication of aquatic systems leads to algal blooms, changes in ecological balance and deteriorating water quality. Difficulties in studying organic phosphorus stem from the fact that organic phosphorus is present in the environment in a variety of forms and each form may have different degradation and turnover time, having very different effects on eutrophication. New methods for the quantification of phosphorus derived from three groups of organic phosphorus compounds were developed. For the determination of phosphorus derived from DNA and phospholipids selective extraction was combined with digestion and colorimetric determination of the extracted phosphate. For quantification of inositol phosphates high performance liquid chromatography was coupled with tandem mass spectrometry using electrospray ionization.   The methods were applied to studying the distribution of these compounds in a small catchment and in the case of DNA-P and phospholipid-P, the degradation of the fractions in lake sediments. The studies showed that phosphorus bound to DNA, phospholipids and inositol phosphates constitute a sizeable part of the total phosphorus in different environmental samples. The phospholipid-P fraction was the smallest one, accounting for, on average, only a few percent of the total phosphorus in the sample. Inositol phosphates were most prevalent in the soils, with inositol hexakisphosphate accounting for over 10% of the total phosphorus content. The highest content of DNA-P was found in sediments and it was shown that DNA-P degrades more rapidly than phospholipid-P and therefore plays a more critical role in internal loading.

Presented work is focused on application of combined instrumental method RP-HPLC/ESI-MS in analysis of several groups of natural compounds with positive physiological activities. Especially some antioxidants were studied in commonly and abundantly consumed food. Moreover some other substances than standard compounds were observed in complex dies. In conclusion the HPLC/ESI-MS method is comparatively advantageous in phenolic analysis, while another type of ionisation would be used in case of carotenoid compound.

no / Nanoscale reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) combined with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) has been used as a method for the direct identification of multiple cytochrome P450 (P450) isoforms found in male and female rat liver. In this targeted proteomic approach, rat liver microsomes were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by in-gel tryptic digestion of the proteins present in the 48- to 62-kDa bands. The resultant peptides were extracted and analyzed by LC-ESI-MS/MS. P450 identifications were made by searching the MS/MS data against a rat protein database containing 21,576 entries including 47 P450s using Sequest software (Thermo Electron, Hemel Hempstead, UK). Twenty-four P450 isoforms from the subfamilies 1A, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 3A, 4A, 4F, CYP17, and CYP19 were positively identified in rat liver.

Le caramel liquide, obtenu par le traitement thermique des sucres, est couramment utilisé pour modifier le goût ou la couleur des produits agroalimentaires.Parmi les promoteurs de caramélisation autorisés, l’ammoniaque (pour les caramels colorants de classe III) et les sels d’ammonium (pour ceux de classe IV) sont source de composés néoformés indésirables (CNI) comme le 2-acétyl-4-(1,2,3,4-tétrahydroxybutyl)imidazole (THI), immunosuppresseur, et le 4-méthylimidazole (4MeI), agent convulsif. Ces molécules ont des teneurs limitées par la réglementation Européenne à 10 et 250 ppm respectivement. Pour améliorer la connaissance de la chimie du caramel et la qualité des caramels colorants en contrôlant la formation des CNI, il est nécessaire de développer des méthodes analytiques fiables, rapides et faciles à mettre en œuvre. Ce travail de thèse présente le développement de nouvelles méthodes basées sur la chromatographie en phase liquide à deux-dimensions (LC-LC). Ces méthodes très sélectives permettent de minimiser le temps d’analyse puisque la préparation de l’échantillon se réduit à une simple dilution dans l’eau et les deux séparations chromatographiques en cascade sont réalisées sur un système totalement automatisé. La validation des méthodes par les profils d’exactitude a permis d’assurer que 90 % des résultats sont à moins de 20 % de la valeur vraie dans le domaine de concentration 10 à 50 ppm pour le THI, 20 à 500 ppm pour le 4MeI, 200 à 2500 ppm pour le fructose, saccharose, lactose, maltose et maltotriose et 500 à 2500 ppm pour le glucose.Ces méthodes sont enfin appliquées au suivi de la réaction de caramélisation et au contrôle qualité des produits finis. / Caramel liquid, obtained by heat treatment of sugars, is commonly used to alter the taste or colour of food products.Among promoters of caramelization allowed, ammonia (for caramel colours of class III) and ammonium salts (for those of class IV) are a source of neoformed contaminants (NFC) such as 2-acetyl-4-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybutyl)imidazole (THI), immunosuppressive agent, and 4-methylimidazole (4MeI), convulsive agent. These molecules have contents limited by the European regulations to 10 and 250 ppm, respectively.To improve knowledge of the chemistry of caramel and quality of caramel colours by controlling the formation of NFC, it is necessary to develop analytical methods that are both reliable, fast and easy to implement. This thesis presents the development and validation of new methods based on two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC-LC). These very selective methods can minimize analysis time since sample preparation is reduced to a simple dilution with water and the two consecutive chromatographic separations are performed on a fully automated system. The method validation by the accuracy profiles allowed to show that 90 % of obtained results correspond to the agreement value more or less 20 %, in the field of concentration 10 to 50 ppm for THI, 20 to 500 ppm for 4MeI, 200 to 2500 ppm for fructose, sucrose, lactose, maltose and maltotriose and 500 to 2500 ppm for glucose.These methods are finally applied to monitor the reaction of caramelization and to control the quality of finished products.

<p>Advances in life science require knowledge of active molecules in complex biological systems. These molecules are often only present for a certain time and at limited concentrations. Integrated micro-analytical tools for sampling, separation and mass spectrometric (MS) detection would meet these requests and are therefore continuously gaining interest. An on-line coupling of analytical functions provides shorter analysis time and less manual sample handling. In this thesis, improved compatibility of microdialysis sampling and multidimensional separations coupled to MS detection are developed and discussed.</p><p>Microdialysis was used <i>in vitro</i> for determination of the non-protein bound fraction of the drug ropivacaine. The sampling unit was coupled on-line to capillary column liquid chromatography (LC) followed by ultraviolet or MS detection. For MS detection, the system was extended with a desalting step and an addition of internal standard. A method for MS screening of microdialysates, collected <i>in vivo,</i> was also developed. The method involved sampling and measurements of the chemical pattern of molecules that generally are ignored in clinical investigations. Chemometric tools were used to extract the relevant information and to compare samples from stimulated and control tissues.</p><p>Complex samples often require separation in more than one dimension. On-line interfaces for sample transfer between LC and capillary electrophoresis (CE) were developed in soft poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). MS detection in the LC-CE system was optimised on frequent sampling of the CE peak or on high resolution in mass spectra using time-of-flight (TOF)MS or Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR)MS, respectively. Aspects on electrode positioning in the LC-CE interface led to development of an on-column CE electrode. A successful method for deactivation of the PDMS surface using a polyamine polymer was also developed. The systems were evaluated using peptides and proteins, molecules that are gaining increased attention in bioscience, and consequently also in chemical analysis. </p>

In analytical chemistry the main goal is normally to determine the identity and/or concentration of one or more species in a sample. The samples analyzed are often natural samples, containing numerous different species in a complex matrix and the choice of technique for multi-elemental detection is in general inductively coupled plasma spectrometry. The chemical forms of an element can affect many of its characteristics e.g. toxicity, which makes speciation analysis important. Therefore, determination of the identity and quantity of an element is still important, but for many applications measurements of total element concentration provides insufficient information. To be able to perform speciation analysis, separation, identification and/or characterization of the various forms of elements in the sample has to be accomplished. Speciation analysis has been employed in a wide range of disciplines, including for example environmental science, biology and clinical chemistry. This thesis describes work to improve and understand the elemental speciation analysis with liquid chromatography coupled to plasma spectrometry and also highlights the importance and potential of the synergy between atomic spectrometry and molecular mass spectrometry. The combination of the matrix tolerant, robust and very sensitive plasma spectrometry used together with molecular mass spectrometry, which provides structural information and the possibility to identify unknown species, is demonstrated to be a very powerful tool for speciation analysis. In this thesis methods are developed for on-line sample clean-up and pre-concentration coupled to liquid chromatography and plasma spectrometry, which makes handling of small sample volumes easier and also decreases the risk of contamination. The problems associated with organic modifiers in plasma spectrometry are also addressed. Applications of speciation analysis are exemplified by analysis of aluminium-chelated siderophores in field-soil solutions and organic phosphorous species in aquatic sediments. The possibility to analyze un-dissolved samples as slurries with minimal sample preparation is also discussed.

Advances in life science require knowledge of active molecules in complex biological systems. These molecules are often only present for a certain time and at limited concentrations. Integrated micro-analytical tools for sampling, separation and mass spectrometric (MS) detection would meet these requests and are therefore continuously gaining interest. An on-line coupling of analytical functions provides shorter analysis time and less manual sample handling. In this thesis, improved compatibility of microdialysis sampling and multidimensional separations coupled to MS detection are developed and discussed. Microdialysis was used in vitro for determination of the non-protein bound fraction of the drug ropivacaine. The sampling unit was coupled on-line to capillary column liquid chromatography (LC) followed by ultraviolet or MS detection. For MS detection, the system was extended with a desalting step and an addition of internal standard. A method for MS screening of microdialysates, collected in vivo, was also developed. The method involved sampling and measurements of the chemical pattern of molecules that generally are ignored in clinical investigations. Chemometric tools were used to extract the relevant information and to compare samples from stimulated and control tissues. Complex samples often require separation in more than one dimension. On-line interfaces for sample transfer between LC and capillary electrophoresis (CE) were developed in soft poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). MS detection in the LC-CE system was optimised on frequent sampling of the CE peak or on high resolution in mass spectra using time-of-flight (TOF)MS or Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR)MS, respectively. Aspects on electrode positioning in the LC-CE interface led to development of an on-column CE electrode. A successful method for deactivation of the PDMS surface using a polyamine polymer was also developed. The systems were evaluated using peptides and proteins, molecules that are gaining increased attention in bioscience, and consequently also in chemical analysis.

Die Systematische Toxikologische Analyse (STA) stellt auf Grund der großen Vielfalt und der ständigen Zunahme an toxikologisch relevanten Substanzen eine der größten Herausforderungen in der chemischen Analyse dar. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde daher die Eignung der Flüssigchromatographie in Kombination mit der Hybrid-Quadrupol-Flugzeitmassenspektrometrie (LC-QTOF-MS) für diesen Zweck untersucht. Dazu wurden eine Datenbank mit über 7360 und eine CID-Spektrenbibliothek mit mehr als 2720 toxikologisch relevanten Substanzen erstellt und geeignete Probenvorbereitungsmethoden entwickelt. Die Erprobung der Methoden erfolgte an dotierten Blut- und Haarproben. Hierbei zeigte sich, dass die Analyse im Auto-MS/MS-Modus (Messzyklen von MS- und MS/MS-Spektren) eine Identifizierung basischer Substanzen mittels CID-Spektren zwischen 0,5 und 2 ng/ml im Blut ermöglichte. Die Nachweisgrenzen der für 24 Wirkstoffe validierten Methode in Haaren lagen bei 3 bis 15 pg/mg. Die Eignung der LC-QTOF-MS zur STA von Haarproben wurde an 30 Drogentodesfällen und 60 Todesfällen mit bekannter chronischer Medikamenteneinnahme zu Lebzeiten sowie an 77 Blutproben nachgewiesen. Für die Suche nach Metaboliten wurde ein Metaboliten-Tool entwickelt. In der praktischen Anwendung auf Datenfiles von Blut- und Haarproben erwies sich das Tool als wertvolles Hilfsmittel zur Identifizierung unbekannter Peaks und zur Bestätigung von Suchergebnissen in der Datenbank. Zur automatischen Konzentrationsabschätzung identifizierter Substanzen wurde ein Tool „Estimate Concentration“ geschaffen. Die Überprüfung des Verfahrens an realen Blut- und Haarproben durch Vergleich mit HPLC-DAD- und GC-MS-Ergebnissen wies eine gute Übereinstimmung der Konzentrationen auf. Insgesamt zeigten die Untersuchungen, dass die LC-QTOF-MS zurzeit die am besten geeignete Methode für die STA darstellt. Auch bei einem erst später aufkommenden Verdacht kann eine gezielte Suche in dem bereits gemessenen Datenfile durchgeführt werden. / Due to the large variety and the steady increase of toxicologically relevant substances, systematic toxicological analysis (STA) is one of the most difficult tasks in analytical chemistry and, therefore, a steady topic of research and methodical improvement. For this reason, the suitability of liquid chromatography in combination with hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) for STA was investigated. For this purpose, a database of more than 7360 and a CID spectra library of more than 2720 toxicologically relevant substances and suitable methods for sample preparation were developed. The application was evaluated at spiked blood and hair samples. It was found that the analysis in Auto-MS/MS mode (alternating measurement cycles of MS and MS/MS spectra) allowed substance identification in blood using CID spectra between 0.5 and 2 ng/ml for basic substances. The detection limits of the validated method in hair ranged from 3 to 15 pg/mg for 24 drugs. The suitability of LC-QTOF-MS for STA was tested for hair samples from 30 drug-related death cases and from 60 death cases with known chronic medication as well as for 77 blood samples. For the search of metabolites, a metabolite tool was developed. In the practical application to data files from blood and hair samples, the tool proved to be very helpful for identification of unknown peaks and for confirmation of results obtained only from the database without CID spectra. A tool "Estimate Concentration" was created for automatic estimation of concentrations of identified substances. The application to real blood and hair samples and the comparison of the concentrations with results from HPLC-DAD and GC-MS showed good agreement. Overall, these investigations showed that LC-QTOF-MS is currently the most favorable method for STA. Because of the comprehensive registration of all substances in a sample, the data files can be checked for the presence of certain poisons even later without new measurements.