In contrast to the time when the first edition of this book was published (2001),
HPLC/UHPLC methods are today the most applied methods in environmental
organic pollutant research due to their applicability, robustness and versatility.
Here, considerable progress in method development has been made in contrast to
gas chromatography where less rapid progress has been reported with regard to
reliability, sensitivity and selectivity during the past two decades (Xu et al. 2013,
2016; Cordero et al. 2015; Li et al. 2015).
Meanwhile, liquid chromatography is a very important tool for process chemistry
and quality control of asymmetric syntheses for the industrial production
(Kazakevich and LoBrutto 2007; Wang 2009; Dasgupta 2010). Today similar
methods are also used for the liquid chromatographic separation of environmental
pollutants usually combined with highly sensitive mass-selective detectors (Nunez
et al. 2012; Jakimska et al. 2014). In enantioselective environmental analysis,
classical chiral pollutants are usually quantified on highly enantiomer-selective
stationary phases (Nillos et al. 2010; Perez-Fernandez et al. 2010; de Albuquerque
et al. 2018). Enantiomer-selective HPLC/UHPLC-based separation methods
coupled with selective detectors (i.e. MS) are complementary quantitative methods
to GC/MS that traditionally did not allow separation of polar or ionic chiral substances or required derivatisation in order to meet the sensitivity and thermal stability
requirements of GC-based detection systems.
A large number of methods covering pharmaceuticals and personal care products
(PPCPs), currently used pesticides (CUPs), food stabilisers, industrial surfactants,
modern flame retardants (nBFR) and other industrial chemicals are reported in the
literature illustrating the immense importance of HPLC/UHPLC methods for modern environmental pollutant research, monitoring and risk assessment (Li et al. 2008;
Wang et al. 2008a, b, 2016; Lao and Gan 2012; Morante-Zarcero and Sierra 2012;
Luo et al. 2013; Suzuki et al. 2014; Liu et al. 2015; Camacho-Munoz et al. 2016; Li
et al. 2017).
The main reason for this recent rapid development in enantiomer-selective LC
methods for environmental applications is the availability and accessibility of a large
number of different stationary phases and enantioselective separators (originally
developed for industrial applications) allowing the strategic focus of specific
enantiomer-selective interactions during the chromatographic specific separation.
This, in combination with ultrahigh sensitive detection systems (including ultrahighresolution mass spectrometry), provides unequivocal structure information and
identification power for chiral tracers at environmentally relevant concentration
levels (Camilleri 1997; Wong 2006; Nillos et al. 2010; Perez-Fernandez et al.
2010; Barbaro et al. 2014; Lopez-Cabeza et al. 2016; Wang et al. 2017a).
3 Enantiomer-Selective High- and Ultra- High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
31
HPLC/UHPLC methods are today the most applied methods in environmental
organic pollutant research due to their applicability, robustness and versatility.
Here, considerable progress in method development has been made in contrast to
gas chromatography where less rapid progress has been reported with regard to
reliability, sensitivity and selectivity during the past two decades (Xu et al. 2013,
2016; Cordero et al. 2015; Li et al. 2015).
Meanwhile, liquid chromatography is a very important tool for process chemistry
and quality control of asymmetric syntheses for the industrial production
(Kazakevich and LoBrutto 2007; Wang 2009; Dasgupta 2010). Today similar
methods are also used for the liquid chromatographic separation of environmental
pollutants usually combined with highly sensitive mass-selective detectors (Nunez
et al. 2012; Jakimska et al. 2014). In enantioselective environmental analysis,
classical chiral pollutants are usually quantified on highly enantiomer-selective
stationary phases (Nillos et al. 2010; Perez-Fernandez et al. 2010; de Albuquerque
et al. 2018). Enantiomer-selective HPLC/UHPLC-based separation methods
coupled with selective detectors (i.e. MS) are complementary quantitative methods
to GC/MS that traditionally did not allow separation of polar or ionic chiral substances or required derivatisation in order to meet the sensitivity and thermal stability
requirements of GC-based detection systems.
A large number of methods covering pharmaceuticals and personal care products
(PPCPs), currently used pesticides (CUPs), food stabilisers, industrial surfactants,
modern flame retardants (nBFR) and other industrial chemicals are reported in the
literature illustrating the immense importance of HPLC/UHPLC methods for modern environmental pollutant research, monitoring and risk assessment (Li et al. 2008;
Wang et al. 2008a, b, 2016; Lao and Gan 2012; Morante-Zarcero and Sierra 2012;
Luo et al. 2013; Suzuki et al. 2014; Liu et al. 2015; Camacho-Munoz et al. 2016; Li
et al. 2017).
The main reason for this recent rapid development in enantiomer-selective LC
methods for environmental applications is the availability and accessibility of a large
number of different stationary phases and enantioselective separators (originally
developed for industrial applications) allowing the strategic focus of specific
enantiomer-selective interactions during the chromatographic specific separation.
This, in combination with ultrahigh sensitive detection systems (including ultrahighresolution mass spectrometry), provides unequivocal structure information and
identification power for chiral tracers at environmentally relevant concentration
levels (Camilleri 1997; Wong 2006; Nillos et al. 2010; Perez-Fernandez et al.
2010; Barbaro et al. 2014; Lopez-Cabeza et al. 2016; Wang et al. 2017a).
3 Enantiomer-Selective High- and Ultra- High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
31