Department of Chemistry, CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro 3810-193, Portugal.
Department of Chemistry, CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro 3810-193, Portugal.
J Chromatogr A. 2023 Sep 13;1706:464288. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464288. Epub 2023 Aug 9.
Analysis of complex environmental matrices poses an extreme challenge for analytical chemists due to the vast number of known and unknown compounds, with very diverse chemical and physical properties. The need for a holistic characterisation of this complexity has sparked the development of effective tools to unravel the chemical composition of such environmental samples. Multidimensional chromatographic methods, namely comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) gas and liquid chromatography (GC × GC and LC × LC, respectively), coupled to different detection systems have emerged as powerful tools with the capability to address this challenge. While GC × GC has steadily gained popularity in environmental analysis, LC × LC is surprisingly less attractive in this research field. This critical review article explores the potential reasons why LC × LC is not the dominant technique used in environmental analysis as compared to GC × GC, while simultaneously highlighting the quite unique role of LC × LC for the target and untargeted analysis of complex environmental matrices. The possible combinations of stationary phases, the important role of the interfacing valve as the heart of an LC × LC assembly, the existing optimization strategies for improving the separation power in the 2D chromatographic space, and the need for user-friendly mathematical tools for multidimensional data handling are also discussed. Finally, a set of practical measures are suggested to increase the use and secure the success of LC × LC in environmental analysis.
分析复杂的环境基质对分析化学家来说是一个极端的挑战，因为已知和未知的化合物数量众多，具有非常不同的化学和物理性质。由于需要对这种复杂性进行全面的描述，因此开发了有效的工具来揭示此类环境样品的化学成分。多维色谱方法，即全面二维（2D）气相和液相色谱（GC×GC 和 LC×LC，分别），与不同的检测系统相结合，已成为具有解决这一挑战的能力的强大工具。虽然 GC×GC 在环境分析中稳步普及，但 LC×LC 在该研究领域却出人意料地不那么受欢迎。本文批判性地探讨了为什么与 GC×GC 相比，LC×LC 不是环境分析中主要使用的技术，同时还强调了 LC×LC 在目标和非目标分析复杂环境基质方面的独特作用。固定相的可能组合、作为 LC×LC 组件核心的接口阀的重要作用、用于提高二维色谱空间分离能力的现有优化策略，以及多维数据处理的用户友好数学工具的需求也进行了讨论。最后，提出了一系列实用措施，以增加 LC×LC 在环境分析中的使用并确保其成功。
