Streamlined Sample Cleanup: Small Molecule Fractionation and Extraction Via Low-Volume Polymer Monolithic Columns for...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Polymer monoliths are porous materials used in chromatography and solid-phase extraction.
• Their application in small molecule analysis is limited by lower binding capacity compared to larger biomolecules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate polymer monoliths for small molecule extraction.
• To demonstrate their performance in automated in-line solid-phase extraction-mass spectrometry (SPE-MS).

Main Methods:

• Localized UV polymerization in capillaries was used to synthesize polymer monoliths.
• Reversed-phase polymer monoliths were applied to automated SPE-MS for endocannabinoid analysis.
• Binding capacity, synthesis repeatability, and system stability were assessed.

Main Results:

• Synthesized monoliths demonstrated a binding capacity of 1896 pmol.
• Monolith synthesis showed a permeability variance of 19%, indicating good repeatability.
• The automated SPE-MS system achieved relative standard deviations below 20% for extracted compounds, showing stability.

Conclusions:

• Butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate polymer monoliths show potential for small molecule extraction.
• Automated in-line SPE-MS using these monoliths improves throughput for small molecule analysis.
• The developed method offers a stable and repeatable approach for analyzing compounds like endocannabinoids.