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The dosage of small volumes for chromatographic quantifications using a drop-on-demand dispenser system

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Abstract

A commercially available piezo-driven drop-on-demand dispenser was tested for its suitability for the preparation of analytical calibration standards and in a standard addition approach prior to quantitative ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analysis of homoserines. The reproducibility of the drop-on-demand dosing system was tested and the verification of the droplet volume was performed by preparing a series of 1.0 mg/L caffeine standard solutions from a 1,000.0 mg/L stock solution and analysis of the concentrations obtained by UPLC. The reproducibility was better than 1% relative standard deviation from measurement to measurement and the highest was 1.6% from day to day. The results were compared with the conventional way of generating standard solutions (pipetting). A gravimetric method and a photography-based method for the determination of the average single droplet volume were compared and found to be in very good agreement. The system was employed for the quantification of N-decanoyl homoserine by standard addition in bacterial culture supernatants containing this analyte. The agreement with conventional quantification techniques was high. The paper shows the feasibility of the approach with advantages in low sample and solvent volume consumption and very good reproducibility and reliability combined with easy usage.

Ejected droplet, 60 μs after application of the pulse

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Acknowledgements

A. Hartmann (AMP/GSF) is thanked for the bacterial culture sample used in this study. A. Krainz, (RCC, Itingen, Switzerland) is thanked for giving us the impulse to test the dispenser technology for routine throughput work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ecological Chemistry, GSF - National Research Center for Environment and Health, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany

    Matthias Englmann, Agnes Fekete, Istvan Gebefügi & Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin

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  1. Matthias Englmann
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  2. Agnes Fekete
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  3. Istvan Gebefügi
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  4. Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin
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Correspondence to Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin.

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Englmann, M., Fekete, A., Gebefügi, I. et al. The dosage of small volumes for chromatographic quantifications using a drop-on-demand dispenser system. Anal Bioanal Chem 388, 1109–1116 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-007-1335-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-007-1335-7

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