Vial cap and method for removing matrix components from a liquid sample

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016187306-A1
Application number	US-201414586339-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 30, 2014
Priority date	Dec 30, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vial cap for removing a matrix component from a liquid sample is described. The vial cap includes a cap body, an inlet portion, and an outlet portion. The cap body is configured to have a slidable gas and liquid seal with a side wall of a sample vial. The inlet portion includes a counterbore section that holds a filter plug. The filter plug includes a polyethylene resin and a material selected from the group consisting of an ion exchange material and a reversed-phase material. The vial cap is adapted for solid phase extraction for use in an autosampler with a plurality of sample vials.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vial cap for removing a matrix component from a liquid sample and transferring the liquid sample in a sample vial to an injection valve at the same time, the vial cap comprising:
a cap body including a liquid sample passageway, and an outer periphery configured to have a slidable gas and liquid seal with a side wall of a sample vial, the sample vial including a side wall, a bottom wall, and an inlet opening; an inlet portion configured to receive a pressurized liquid sample from the sample vial where the liquid sample flows into the liquid sample passageway, the inlet portion including a counterbore section, the counterbore section holding a filter plug, the filter plug comprising a polyethylene resin and a material selected from the group consisting of an ion exchange material and a reversed-phase material; an outlet portion configured to output the liquid sample from the liquid sample passageway that has passed through the filter plug, the outlet portion including a plunger section configured to receive a downward force into a sample vial to pressurize the liquid sample within the sample vial.

2 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the reversed-phase material is configured to bind an ion pairing agent.

3 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the reversed-phase material is configured to bind the matrix component where the matrix component is hydrophobic.

4 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the matrix component is selected from the group consisting of an ionic species, a hydrophobic species, and a combination thereof.

5 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the ion exchange material comprises a crosslinked styrene sulfonate.

6 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the ion exchange material comprises a crosslinked copolymer of a vinylbenzylchloride and a divinylbenzene where the crosslinked copolymer is quaternized with a trimethylamine.

7 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the ion exchange material comprises a crosslinked copolymer of a chloromethylated styrene quaternized with a tertiary amine and a divinylbenzene.

8 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the reversed-phase material comprises a divinylbenzene resin treated with an ion pairing agent selected from the group consisting of a hexane sulfonate, octane sulfonate, dodecane sulfonate, tetrapropylammonium, tetrabutylammonium, tetrapentylammonium, trifluoroacetate, heptafluorobutyrate, dodecylsulfate, and combinations thereof.

9 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the ion exchange material comprises a crosslinked styrene sulfonate treated with an anion exchange latex.

10 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the ion exchange material comprises a positively charged crosslinked polymer treated with a cation exchange latex.

11 . The vial cap of claim 10 , in which the positively charged crosslinked polymer is selected from the group consisting of a copolymer of a vinylbenzylchloride and a divinylbenzene where the crosslinked copolymer that is quaternized with a trimethylamine, and a crosslinked copolymer of a chloromethylated styrene quaternized with a tertiary amine and a divinylbenzene.

12 . The vial cap of claim 1 , in which the plunger section is a socket configured to receive a plunger, the plunger configured to apply a downward force to the vial cap and transfer the liquid sample through a hollow portion of the plunger.

13 . A method of removing a matrix component from a liquid sample using a vial cap, the vial cap comprising: a cap body including a liquid sample passageway, an outer periphery configured to have a slidable gas and liquid seal with a side wall of a sample vial, the sample vial including a side wall, a bottom wall, and an inlet opening; an inlet portion configured to receive a pressurized liquid sample from the sample vial where the liquid sample flows into the liquid sample passageway, the inlet portion including a counterbore section, the counterbore section holding a filter plug; an outlet portion configured to output the liquid sample from the liquid sample passageway that has passed through the filter plug, the outlet portion including a plunger section configured to receive a downward force into a sample vial to pressurize the liquid sample within the sample vial, the method comprising:
adding the liquid sample to a sample vial; pushing the vial cap through the inlet opening of the sample vial towards the bottom wall to pressurize the liquid sample within the sample vial; displacing the liquid sample into the inlet portion, through the filter plug, and out of the outlet portion, the filter plug comprising a polyethylene resin and a material selected from the group consisting of an ion exchange material and a reversed-phase material; and at the same time of the displacing, removing a portion of the matrix component from the liquid sample with the filter plug.

14 . The method claim 13 , in which the pressure within the sample vial is less than 100 PSI.

15 . The method claim 13 further comprising: disposing of the vial cap along with the filter plug.

16 . The method claim 13 , in which the liquid sample comprises particles, the method further comprising: removing a portion of the particles from the liquid sample with the filter plug.

17 . The method claim 13 , in which the removed portion of the matrix component is greater than 50% of the matrix component present in the liquid sample before the liquid sample displacing.

18 . The method claim 13 further comprising:
loading a sample loop on an injection valve with the displaced liquid sample;
injecting the liquid sample in the sample loop to a chromatographic separation device;
separating at least one analyte from matrix components in the liquid sample on the chromatographic separation device; and
detecting an analyte separated from the matrix components at a detector.

19 . The method of claim 13 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the ion exchange material comprises a crosslinked styrene sulfonate.

20 . The method of claim 13 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the ion exchange material comprises a crosslinked copolymer of a vinylbenzylchloride and a divinylbenzene where the crosslinked copolymer is quaternized with a trimethylamine.

21 . The method of claim 13 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the ion exchange material comprises a crosslinked copolymer of a chloromethylated styrene quaternized with a tertiary amine and a divinylbenzene.

22 . The method of claim 13 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the reversed-phase material comprises a divinylbenzene resin treated with an ion pairing agent selected from the group consisting of a hexane sulfonate, octane sulfonate, dodecane sulfonate, tetrapropylammonium, tetrabutylammonium, tetrapentylammonium, trifluoroacetate, heptafluorobutyrate, and dodecylsulfate.

23 . The method of claim 13 , in which the polyethylene resin comprises a high density polyethylene and the ion e

Assignees

• Dionex Corp

Inventors

• Pohl Christopher A
• Slingsby Rosanne W

Classifications

• B01L3/502

  with fluid transport, e.g. in multi-compartment structures · CPC title

• G01N30/14

  by elimination of some components · CPC title

• G01N2030/009

  Extraction · CPC title

• G01N30/24

  Automatic injection systems · CPC title

• G01N2030/143

  selective absorption · CPC title