Single drop chromatography and its coupling to mass spectrometry: instrumental strategies, development of materials, automation and analytical applications

Researcher at LAEG: Gisela de Aragão Umbuzeiro

Main Researcher: Fernando Mauro Lanças

Duration: July/2017 – June/2022

Supported by: The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

Members: Álvaro José dos Santos Neto, Maria Eugênia Queiroz Nassur, Gisela de Aragão Umbuzeiro, José Alexandre de Souza Crippa, José Luiz da Costa, Marcelo Zaiat, Paulo Clairmont Feitosa de Lima Gomes, Vitor Tumas

Support Type: Regular Research

The main motivation behind this proposal is the recognition that a well-exploited association of micro techniques covering sample preparation, chromatography and mass spectrometry exhibits very concrete potential for gains in analytical quality in association with the precepts of green chemistry. Directly, we envisage several advances from fundamental aspects to applications on real samples of relevance involving this association of analytical micro techniques. The following topics will be highlighted aiming a concrete advancement in the analytical sciences: i) the research on novel materials and strategies applied to increasing the performance of micro extractions; ii) innovation toward automation and association of analytical techniques for sample preparation, chromatography and mass spectrometry; iii) the search for novel, more efficient and robust chromatographic columns in micro and nano scales; and; iv) the evaluation, development and application of coupling of the developed micro and nano columns with mass spectrometry for higher ionization efficiency and aiming to obtain new levels of detection from the use of limited amount of complex samples. Regarding the applications of the proposed concept in chemistry and related fields, we will focus on i) biomedical applications for the analysis of endogenous biomarkers and drugs in biological fluids; ii) environmental applications in degradation studies of drugs and other emerging compounds in small scale bioreactors; iii) ecotoxicological applications for monitoring the absorption of toxicants by micro crustaceans and insect larvae, in order to correlate chemical information with other toxicological observations; (iv) food safety applications regarding fast, efficient and robust methods able to deal with difficult matrices and analytes. (AU)