The automated and fast method development capability of the ACQUITY UPLC System
In this week's Application of the Week, we demonstrate the automated and fast method development capability of the ACQUITY UPLC System with 2-D Technology for the analysis of illicit drugs in urine.
The quantification limit for all illicit drugs was set at 1 ppb using a 1 mL urine sample. The micro extraction protocol offered the option to evaluate several elution parameters in a short time period. The elution optimization was completed within a 4 hrs hands-on work and the 2D LC results were analyzed using an over-night run multi-methods sample list (18 hrs).
With the extraction protocol optimized, the final protocol produced a clean extract in 15 minutes without any evaporation to dryness and reconstitution into initial mobile phase conditions. The reversed-phase/ion-exchange extraction protocol gave a 90% recovery average for the 12 illicit drugs in urine.