- Email: [email protected]
Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
341
Analytica Chimica Acta, 279 (1993) 341-344 Elsevier
SciencePublishersB.V.,
Amsterdam
BOOK REVIEWS Andrew van Es, High Speed Narrow Bore Capillary Gas Chromatography, Hiithig Verlag, Heidelberg, 1992 (ISBN 3-7785-2027-X). vi + 158 pp. Price DM 88.00. High speed gas chromatography employing narrow bore open tubular columns with internal diameters < 100 pm is not employed in my laboratories at present. Suitable columns have been available for a number of years but a lack of commercial instrumentation to fully exploit the properties of these columns was and still is the major impediment to their acceptance by most chromatographers. The major instrumental problems are a lack of suitable inlets, peak broadening caused by detector dead volumes, and inadequate data acquisition rates of detectors and integrators, combined with the low sample capacity of narrow bore columns. The author’s stated objective is to find technological solutions to the above problems as well as presenting a theoretical framework for an understanding of the properties of narrow bore columns and their operation. The author succeeds in summarizing the relevant theory of narrow bore columns. The book contains several sections in which the space occupied by equations exceeds that devoted to text. Throughout the book, in fact, the author uses words sparsely and there are many short paragraphs in which facts are presented without description or explanation. Likewise, equations are not derived and, therefore, there is little opportunity to understand the limitations and/or approximations in the theoretical aspects presented. In terms of the practice of narrow bore gas chromatography the author describes a number of experiments in a format similar to a regular scientific paper or doctoral thesis (introduction, experimental, results and discussion). This is not always a useful format for comparison and consolidation of knowledge. Rather than demonstrate solutions to problems, as promised, there is no integration to the problems presented and one 0003~2670/93/$06.00
8 1993 - Elsevier Science
Publishers
is left wondering whether high speed gas chromatography is practically useful or not. There is not one single practical application presented in the book which would tend to support the latter conclusion. The information provided may invoke fruitful thought but is unlikely to inspire the majority of analytical chemists not already involved in high speed GC to become so in the near future. Also, the referenced work in the book seems to be unusually dated for a 1992 publication. There are a few scattered references to work performed in 1989 but a comprehensive review of the literature seems to have stopped with 1988. There are also short sections on correlation chromatography and turbulent flow GC at the end of the book. These are only loosely related to the main theme of the book and too short to be generally useful. Overall, the book is aimed at a very specialized audience and has little general appeal to those not attracted to the book by its title. It is the only comprehensive account of high speed GC with narrow bore columns I am aware of. Thus, it may find its way into some professional libraries but this is not a book likely to spur on research work in this area and could have offered the reader a more thorough and insightful approach to the topic. Colin F. Poole Wilfried Niessen and Jan van der Greef, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1992 (ISBN O-8247-8635-1). vi + 479 pp. Price US$165.00 (USA and Canada), US$189.75 (other countries). This text is Volume 58 in the Chromatographic Science Series. It deals primarily with the true hybrid nature of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and has a satisfying feeling of completeness about it. The reader is presented with three introductory chapters covering
B.V. All rights reserved
Book Reviews
342
the topics of liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and the interfacing of chromatography with mass spectrometry. The longest section (nine chapters) relates to interface technology as applied to LC-MS. This includes an overview of the large number of different types of interface available followed by a more detailed discussion of the most commonly used types. The newer topics of coupling supercritical fluid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis to mass spectrometry are dealt with in the concluding two chapters of this section. No book on mass spectrometry would be complete without some discussion of the ionisation techniques used and five chapters are devoted to these topics. As well as a detailed discussion of the commonly used ionisation methods alternative means of inducing useful addition fragmentation in the soft ionisation techniques are reviewed at the end of this section. The short applications section is appropriate for a book of this nature. The book is ‘well referenced and particularly well cross-referenced between the individual chapters and sections. The excellent illustrations enhance the text and clarify the understanding promoted by the book. This is a book for the practising mass spectroscopist and chromatographer, but is also a text that could provide advanced students with a comprehensive insight into the subject of LC-MS. It can be recommended as a valuable contribution to study and reference in an area of developing technology and applications. John D. Green Otto S. troscopy, Springer, + 310 pp.
Wolfbeis (Ed.), Fluorescence SpecNew Methods and Applications, Berlin, 1993 (ISBN 3-540-55281-2). xx price DM 168.00.
Fluorimetry has developed rapidly over the last decade, and the rate of advance is unlikely to decrease in the near future. This book, which is based on the plenary lectures presented at a 3-day conference on “Methods and Applications of Fluorescence Spectroscopy” held in Graz,
Austria, in October 1991, provides analytical chemists and biomedical scientists with an excellent summary of progress in areas of the subject that are developing most rapidly. Each chapter is written by a well-known expert, and the total of 21 contributions is arranged into five sections, viz. new methods in fluorescence spectroscopy, new applications, fluorimetric analysis, fluorescence immunoassay and fluorescence in biomedical sciences. The chapters are well focussed, and cover such topics as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of single molecule events, fluorescence quenching sensors, applications in forest decline studies, investigation of structure formation in surfactant monolayers, fluorescent lifetime imaging, fluorescent probes on biomembranes, near-IR fluorimetry, applications in environmental studies, and studies of fluorescent transients in neurobiology. There is also an article on chemiluminescence detection in immunoassay, which is valuable, but strictly is outside the scope of the book. This is a book that can be recommended to all analytical scientists interested in fluorimetry. Alan Townshend W.A. Steger, K. Dathe, R. Herzschuh, A. Mehlhorn, B. Miiller and E. Miiller, Strukturanalytik, Deutscher Verlag fiir Grundstoffmdustrie GmbH, Leipzig, 1992 (ISBN 3-342-00044-9). Soft cover, 340 pp. This book gives a truly excellent introduction to the various instrumental methods for the structure elucidation of organic compounds. After a short introduction to introduce a consistent terminology and an overview of the basic philosophy there are chapters on mass spectrometry, vibrational spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance methods and electron spin resonance, and diffraction methods. This part is followed by a discussion of the synergistic effects of the combined application of spectroscopic methods, and a short discussion of computer-aided methods in structure analysis, ranging from capturing raw data to quantum chemical calculations. The final chapter gives a limited but quite useful compilation of relevant spectroscopic
Analytica Chimica Acta, 279 (1993) 341-344 Elsevier
SciencePublishersB.V.,
Amsterdam
BOOK REVIEWS Andrew van Es, High Speed Narrow Bore Capillary Gas Chromatography, Hiithig Verlag, Heidelberg, 1992 (ISBN 3-7785-2027-X). vi + 158 pp. Price DM 88.00. High speed gas chromatography employing narrow bore open tubular columns with internal diameters < 100 pm is not employed in my laboratories at present. Suitable columns have been available for a number of years but a lack of commercial instrumentation to fully exploit the properties of these columns was and still is the major impediment to their acceptance by most chromatographers. The major instrumental problems are a lack of suitable inlets, peak broadening caused by detector dead volumes, and inadequate data acquisition rates of detectors and integrators, combined with the low sample capacity of narrow bore columns. The author’s stated objective is to find technological solutions to the above problems as well as presenting a theoretical framework for an understanding of the properties of narrow bore columns and their operation. The author succeeds in summarizing the relevant theory of narrow bore columns. The book contains several sections in which the space occupied by equations exceeds that devoted to text. Throughout the book, in fact, the author uses words sparsely and there are many short paragraphs in which facts are presented without description or explanation. Likewise, equations are not derived and, therefore, there is little opportunity to understand the limitations and/or approximations in the theoretical aspects presented. In terms of the practice of narrow bore gas chromatography the author describes a number of experiments in a format similar to a regular scientific paper or doctoral thesis (introduction, experimental, results and discussion). This is not always a useful format for comparison and consolidation of knowledge. Rather than demonstrate solutions to problems, as promised, there is no integration to the problems presented and one 0003~2670/93/$06.00
8 1993 - Elsevier Science
Publishers
is left wondering whether high speed gas chromatography is practically useful or not. There is not one single practical application presented in the book which would tend to support the latter conclusion. The information provided may invoke fruitful thought but is unlikely to inspire the majority of analytical chemists not already involved in high speed GC to become so in the near future. Also, the referenced work in the book seems to be unusually dated for a 1992 publication. There are a few scattered references to work performed in 1989 but a comprehensive review of the literature seems to have stopped with 1988. There are also short sections on correlation chromatography and turbulent flow GC at the end of the book. These are only loosely related to the main theme of the book and too short to be generally useful. Overall, the book is aimed at a very specialized audience and has little general appeal to those not attracted to the book by its title. It is the only comprehensive account of high speed GC with narrow bore columns I am aware of. Thus, it may find its way into some professional libraries but this is not a book likely to spur on research work in this area and could have offered the reader a more thorough and insightful approach to the topic. Colin F. Poole Wilfried Niessen and Jan van der Greef, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1992 (ISBN O-8247-8635-1). vi + 479 pp. Price US$165.00 (USA and Canada), US$189.75 (other countries). This text is Volume 58 in the Chromatographic Science Series. It deals primarily with the true hybrid nature of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and has a satisfying feeling of completeness about it. The reader is presented with three introductory chapters covering
B.V. All rights reserved
Book Reviews
342
the topics of liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and the interfacing of chromatography with mass spectrometry. The longest section (nine chapters) relates to interface technology as applied to LC-MS. This includes an overview of the large number of different types of interface available followed by a more detailed discussion of the most commonly used types. The newer topics of coupling supercritical fluid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis to mass spectrometry are dealt with in the concluding two chapters of this section. No book on mass spectrometry would be complete without some discussion of the ionisation techniques used and five chapters are devoted to these topics. As well as a detailed discussion of the commonly used ionisation methods alternative means of inducing useful addition fragmentation in the soft ionisation techniques are reviewed at the end of this section. The short applications section is appropriate for a book of this nature. The book is ‘well referenced and particularly well cross-referenced between the individual chapters and sections. The excellent illustrations enhance the text and clarify the understanding promoted by the book. This is a book for the practising mass spectroscopist and chromatographer, but is also a text that could provide advanced students with a comprehensive insight into the subject of LC-MS. It can be recommended as a valuable contribution to study and reference in an area of developing technology and applications. John D. Green Otto S. troscopy, Springer, + 310 pp.
Wolfbeis (Ed.), Fluorescence SpecNew Methods and Applications, Berlin, 1993 (ISBN 3-540-55281-2). xx price DM 168.00.
Fluorimetry has developed rapidly over the last decade, and the rate of advance is unlikely to decrease in the near future. This book, which is based on the plenary lectures presented at a 3-day conference on “Methods and Applications of Fluorescence Spectroscopy” held in Graz,
Austria, in October 1991, provides analytical chemists and biomedical scientists with an excellent summary of progress in areas of the subject that are developing most rapidly. Each chapter is written by a well-known expert, and the total of 21 contributions is arranged into five sections, viz. new methods in fluorescence spectroscopy, new applications, fluorimetric analysis, fluorescence immunoassay and fluorescence in biomedical sciences. The chapters are well focussed, and cover such topics as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of single molecule events, fluorescence quenching sensors, applications in forest decline studies, investigation of structure formation in surfactant monolayers, fluorescent lifetime imaging, fluorescent probes on biomembranes, near-IR fluorimetry, applications in environmental studies, and studies of fluorescent transients in neurobiology. There is also an article on chemiluminescence detection in immunoassay, which is valuable, but strictly is outside the scope of the book. This is a book that can be recommended to all analytical scientists interested in fluorimetry. Alan Townshend W.A. Steger, K. Dathe, R. Herzschuh, A. Mehlhorn, B. Miiller and E. Miiller, Strukturanalytik, Deutscher Verlag fiir Grundstoffmdustrie GmbH, Leipzig, 1992 (ISBN 3-342-00044-9). Soft cover, 340 pp. This book gives a truly excellent introduction to the various instrumental methods for the structure elucidation of organic compounds. After a short introduction to introduce a consistent terminology and an overview of the basic philosophy there are chapters on mass spectrometry, vibrational spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance methods and electron spin resonance, and diffraction methods. This part is followed by a discussion of the synergistic effects of the combined application of spectroscopic methods, and a short discussion of computer-aided methods in structure analysis, ranging from capturing raw data to quantum chemical calculations. The final chapter gives a limited but quite useful compilation of relevant spectroscopic