Polar amino acids are very often used as components of vitamin and supplement composition. Analysis of such complex composition is a challenging task. In this application, 5 amino acids (asparagine, glutamic acid, proline and arginine) and two preservatives (methyl paraben and propyl paraben) are separated on a Primesep 100 reversed-phase cation-exchange column with LC/MS compatible mobile phase. Method does not require ion-pairing reagent in the mobile phase. Compounds are monitored by ELSD and UV. Method is validated for quantitation of underivatized amino acids in complex mixtures. The method is simple and robust and can be used for analysis of various vitamin formulations.

Parabens are common preservatives in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. They are esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Method for separation of methyl paraben, propyl paraben, benzonitrile and toluene was developed on a Obelisc R column. All four compounds are neutral and are retained by reverse-phase mechanism. In case of reversed-phase stationary phase, no effect of pH is observed. Retention time for all four compounds changes on an Obelisc R column when pH is changed. pH of the mobile phase affects ionization state of stationary phase. Obelisc R column has C12 carbon chain and carboxylic acid with pKa of 4. At lower pH (pH 2, TFA), carboxylic acid of stationary phase is not ionized and thus adds hydrophobicity to stationary phase. Obelisc R column can be used for analysis of basic, acidic and neutral compounds with suitable detection techniques - UV, ELSD, CAD, LC/MS.