The present invention provides a process for preparing a functionalised polymeric chromatography medium, which process comprises (I) providing two or more non-woven sheets stacked one on top of the other, each said sheet comprising one or more polymer nanofibres, (II) simultaneously heating and pressing the stack of sheets to fuse points of contact between the nanofibres of adjacent sheets, and (III) contacting the pressed and heated product with a reagent which functionalises the product of step (II) as a chromatography medium.

Methods, compositions, devices and kits having a novel chromatographic material are provided herein for separating and identifying organic molecules and compounds, for example molecules and compounds containing electron rich functional groups such as carbon-carbon double bonds. The methods, compositions, and kits include a metal-thiolate chromatographic medium (MTCM) with a sulfur-containing functional group or a metal-selenolate chromatographic medium (MSCM) comprising a selenium-containing functional group covalently attached to a support medium, such that the sulfur-containing functional group or selenium-containing functional group is bound to at least one metal atom. The MTCM and/or MSCM has affinity and specificity to compounds having one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, and performs a highly efficient and rapid separation of samples yielding non-overlapping peaks of purified materials compared to traditional media.

Methods, compositions, devices and kits having a novel chromatographic material are provided herein for separating and identifying organic molecules and compounds, for example molecules and compounds containing electron rich functional groups such as carbon-carbon double bonds. The methods, compositions, and kits include a metal-thiolate chromatographic medium (MTCM) with a sulfur-containing functional group or a metal-selenolate chromatographic medium (MSCM) comprising a selenium-containing functional group covalently attached to a support medium, such that the sulfur-containing functional group or selenium-containing functional group is bound to at least one metal atom. The MTCM and/or MSCM has affinity and specificity to compounds having one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, and performs a highly efficient and rapid separation of samples yielding non-overlapping peaks of purified materials compared to traditional media.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for sampling at least one analyte from a sampling fluid. The apparatus includes: a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling instrument. A connector is attached to the SPME sampling instrument and is coupleable to an aerial drone. The apparatus includes a protective cover that is sized and shaped to at least partially surround the SPME sampling instrument. The SPME sampling instrument and the protective cover are movable in relation to each other between a protecting configuration and a sampling configuration. The SPME sampling instrument and the protective cover are (i) biased in the protecting configuration when the density of the fluid surrounding the SPME sampling instrument is less than the density of the sampling fluid; and (ii) biased in the sampling configuration when the density of the fluid surrounding the SPME sampling instrument is equal to or greater than the density of the sampling fluid.

The present invention provides a method for hydrophobization of a hydrophilic material, the method including introducing a hydrophobic group into a hydroxyl group (OH group) on a surface of the hydrophilic material. A method for hydrophobization of a hydrophilic material, the method comprising reacting a hydrophilic material to be hydrophobized with a hydrophobic group-containing silylating agent in presence of an amino acid as a reaction accelerator, to introduce a hydrophobic group-containing silyl group to a surface of the hydrophilic material. A hydrophobized silica gel column filler is produced by using the method. Further, a hydrophobized silica gel column is produced by filling a column with the hydrophobized silica gel column filler.

The present invention provides a method for hydrophobization of a hydrophilic material, the method including introducing a hydrophobic group into a hydroxyl group (OH group) on a surface of the hydrophilic material. A method for hydrophobization of a hydrophilic material, the method comprising reacting a hydrophilic material to be hydrophobized with a hydrophobic group-containing silylating agent in presence of an amino acid as a reaction accelerator, to introduce a hydrophobic group-containing silyl group to a surface of the hydrophilic material. A hydrophobized silica gel column filler is produced by using the method. Further, a hydrophobized silica gel column is produced by filling a column with the hydrophobized silica gel column filler.

Methods, kits and devices for separating phospholipids and proteins from small molecules in biochemical samples can feature an apparatus having a wetting barrier, at least one frit and a separation media. For example, an apparatus can include at least one wall defining a chamber having an exit and an entrance; a wetting barrier disposed between the exit and entrance, so as to define a separation media space located between the wetting barrier and the exit and a sample receiving area located between the wetting barrier and the entrance; and a separation media disposed adjacent to the wetting barrier and having a specific affinity for phospholipids.

Methods, kits and devices for separating phospholipids and proteins from small molecules in biochemical samples can feature an apparatus having a wetting barrier, at least one frit and a separation media. For example, an apparatus can include at least one wall defining a chamber having an exit and an entrance; a wetting barrier disposed between the exit and entrance, so as to define a separation media space located between the wetting barrier and the exit and a sample receiving area located between the wetting barrier and the entrance; and a separation media disposed adjacent to the wetting barrier and having a specific affinity for phospholipids.

A method for analysing a crude oil to determine the amount of organic acid compounds contained in the crude oil includes extracting the organic acid compounds from a sample of crude oil to form an extract and determining the amount of the extracted organic acids In addition, the method includes dissolving the extract in a polar solvent to form a solution of the extracted organic acid compounds Further, the method includes introducing a sample of the solution of the extracted organic acid to an apparatus including a reversed phase liquid chromatography (LC) column and a mass spectrometer (MS) arranged in series. The reversed phase LC column contains a hydrophobic sorbent and the mobile phase for the LC column includes a polar organic solvent. Still further, the method includes separating the organic acid compounds in the LC column of the LC-MS apparatus and continuously passing the separated organic acid compounds from the LC column to the MS of the LC-MS apparatus to ionize the organic acid compounds and to obtain a chromatogram with mass spectral data over time for the ionized organic acid compounds. Moreover, the method includes determining the area(s) under the peak(s) in an extracted ion chromatogram derived from the mass spectral data assigned to one or more organic acid compounds. The method also includes determining the amount of the organic acid compound(s) in the sample by comparing the area under the peak(s) assigned to the organic acid compound(s) with the area under a peak in an extracted ion chromatogram assigned to a specific amount of a standard organic acid compound. In addition, the method includes extrapolating from the amount of the organic acid compound(s) in the sample to provide the total amount of the organic acid compound(s) in the extract.

Polymeric adsorbents useful for solid phase extraction (SPE) comprising a copolymer formed by copolymerizing at least one hydrophobic monomer including divinylbenzene and at least one hydrophilic monomer including acrylonitrile. Also provided are SPE cartridges including a divinylbenzene-acrylonitrile hydrophilic-lipophilic balance adsorbent. Further provides are methods of using a divinylbenzene-acrylonitrile hydrophilic-lipophilic balance adsorbent in conventional and simplified SPE techniques.