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This work reports a carbon-nanotube amperometric sensor for the selective determination of 4-chloroaniline (4-CLA), the major degradation product found in commercial chlorhexidine solutions. The harmful 4-CLA is detected on a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-modified electrode, free from the interference of chlorhexidine and other substances present in such samples, with a detection limit of 50 nmol L −1 . MWCNTs of two different dimensions were evaluated for 4-CLA detection and a 3-fold increase in sensitivity using both modified electrodes was obtained in comparison with the bare electrode. The association of batch-injection analysis with the amperometric detection provided high precision (1.2%) and sample throughput (130 h −1 ). Analyses of samples by capillary electrophoresis-tandem mass spectrometry (CE-MS/MS) attested the accuracy of the proposed method. Mouth rinse and skin disinfectant samples presented 4-CLA concentrations in the range between 4 and 235 μmol L −1 .

The association of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole is a very effective with antibiotic properties, and commonly used in the treatment of a variety of infections. Due to the importance in diseases treatment of humans and also of animals, the development of methods for their quantification in commercial formulations is highly desirable. In the present study, a rapid method for simultaneous determination of these compounds using CE with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was developed. A favorable working region for both analytes was from 12.5 to 200 μmol/L (linear responses with R > 0.999 for N = 5). Other parameters calculated were sensitivity (1.28 ± 0.10/1.45 ± 0.11) min/(μmol L), RSD (4.5%/2.0%), and LOD (1.1/3.3) μmol/L for trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, respectively. Under this condition, the total run time was only 2.6 min. The proposed method was applied to the determination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in commercial samples and the results were compared to those obtained by using a HPLC pharmacopoeia method. This new method is advantageous for quality-control analyses of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in pharmaceuticals samples, because it is rapid and precise. Moreover, it is less laborious and demands minimum amounts of reagents in comparison to the recommended method.

Hemiesters of carbonic acid can be freely formed in aqueous media containing HCO3(-)/CO2 and mono- or poly-hydroxy compounds. Herein, (13)C NMR spectroscopy was used to identify isomers formed in aqueous solutions of glycerol (a prototype compound) and seven carbohydrates, as well as to estimate the equilibrium constant of formation (Keq). Although both isomers are formed, glycerol 1-carbonate corresponds to 90% of the product. While fructose and ribose form an indistinct mixture of isomers, the anomers of d-glucopyranose 6-carbonate correspond to 74% of the eight isomers of glucose carbonate that were detected. The values of Keq for the disaccharides sucrose (4.3) and maltose (4.2) are about twice the values for the monosaccharides glucose (2.0) and fructose (2.3). Ribose (Keq = 0.89)-the only sugar without a significant concentration of a species containing a -CH2OH group in an aqueous solution-resulted in the smallest Keq. On the basis of the Keq value and the concentrations of HCO3(-) and glucose in blood, one can anticipate a concentration of 2-4 µmol L(-1) for glucose 6-carbonate, which corresponds to ca. of 10% of its phosphate counterpart (glucose 6-phosphate).

A thin-layer electrochemical flow cell coupled to capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection (EC-CE-C(4)D) was applied for the first time to the derivatization and quantification of neutral species using aliphatic alcohols as model compounds. The simultaneous electrooxidation of four alcohols (ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, and 1-pentanol) to the corresponding carboxylates was carried out on a platinum working electrode in acid medium. The derivatization step required 1 min at 1.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl under stopped flow conditions, which was preceded by a 10 s activation at 0 V. The solution close to the electrode surface was then hydrodynamically injected into the capillary, and a 2.5 min electrophoretic separation was carried out. The fully automated flow system operated at a frequency of 12 analyses per hour. Simultaneous determination of the four alcohols presented detection limits of about 5 × 10(-5) mol L(-1). As a practical application with a complex matrix, ethanol concentrations were determined in diluted pale lager beer and in nonalcoholic beer. No statistically significant difference was observed between the EC-CE-C(4)D and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) results for these samples. The derivatization efficiency remained constant over several hours of continuous operation with lager beer samples (n = 40).

This paper describes a long-range remotely controlled CE system built on an all-terrain vehicle. A four-stroke engine and a set of 12-V batteries were used to provide power to a series of subsystems that include drivers, communication, computers, and a capillary electrophoresis module. This dedicated instrument allows air sampling using a polypropylene porous tube, coupled to a flow system that transports the sample to the inlet of a fused-silica capillary. A hybrid approach was used for the construction of the analytical subsystem combining a conventional fused-silica capillary (used for separation) and a laser machined microfluidic block, made of PMMA. A solid-state cooling approach was also integrated in the CE module to enable controlling the temperature and therefore increasing the useful range of the robot. Although ultimately intended for detection of chemical warfare agents, the proposed system was used to analyze a series of volatile organic acids. As such, the system allowed the separation and detection of formic, acetic, and propionic acids with signal-to-noise ratios of 414, 150, and 115, respectively, after sampling by only 30 s and performing an electrokinetic injection during 2.0 s at 1.0 kV.

Although alkyl carbonic acids (ACAs) and their salts are referred to as instable species in aqueous medium, we demonstrate that a monoalkyl carbonate (MAC) can in fact be easily formed from bicarbonate and an alcohol even in the presence of a high amount of water. A CE system with two capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detectors (C⁴Ds) was used to obtain different parameters about these species and their reactions. Based on the mobilities obtained for a series of alcohols ranging from 1 to 5 carbons, the coefficients of diffusion and the hydrodynamic radii were calculated. When compared with the equivalent carboxylates, MACs have radii systematically smaller. Although the precise pK(a) values of the ACAs could not be obtained, because of the fast decomposition in acid medium, it was possible, for the first time, to show that they are below 4.0. This result suggests that the acidity of an ACA is quite similar to the first hydrogen of H₂CO₃. Using a new approach to indirectly calibrate the C⁴D, the kinetic constants and the equilibrium constants of formation were also obtained. The results suggest that the increase in the chain length makes the MACs less stable and more inert.

A formação dos monoalquil carbonatos (MACs) em meio aquoso - produzidos pela reação de um álcool e bicarbonato foi investigada por eletroforese capilar (CE) com detecção condutométrica sem contato (C4D). Foram estudadas ao todo 29 substâncias, das quais 25 apresentaram formação de adutos aniônicos monocarregados e 2 delas, adutos aniônicos com dupla carga. A eletroforese capilar proporcionou a obtenção de medidas de propriedades físico-químicas. Através do tempo de migração, foram obtidos mobilidade, coeficiente de difusão e raio iônico hidratado. Para os n-álcoois de 1 a 5 átomos de carbono, os adutos apresentaram raio iônico hidratado entre 216 pm e 310 pm. Os MACs têm raio iônico proporcional ao do álcool gerador, sendo sistematicamente maiores devidos à anexação do grupo carbonato. Quando comparado a ácidos carboxílicos de cadeia carbônica similar, os MACs possuem menor raio iônico hidratado. A obtenção dos valores da cinética de formação e hidrólise foi possível pela utilização de dupla detecção condutométrica, a qual permitia determinar a concentração do MAC em dois momentos diferentes ao longo da coluna. Devido à impossibilidade de uma calibração direta - já que os sais de MACs se decompõem em água - foi introduzida uma nova técnica de calibração que dispensa o uso de uma solução padrão do analito em favor de uma com espécie de mobilidade similar. As constantes cinética e termodinâmica foram comparadas com aquelas disponíveis na literatura, mostrando boa concordância, como no caso dos adutos para o metanol e etanol (a 25 ºC em meio aquoso), cujos valores da constante termodinâmica sugeridos pela literatura são de 3,57 e 1,80, respectivamente, enquanto que os valores calculados em nosso trabalho são de 4,2 e 2,3, a 25ºC. De forma similar ao ácido carbônico, os ácidos alquilcarbônicos (ACAs) se decompõem em meio ácido, o que dificulta a determinação da verdadeira constante de dissociação. Ainda assim, estudos em pH de 3 a 9, permitiram estimar os valores de pKa dos ácidos derivados de metanol, etanol e propanol como estando algo abaixo de 4, o que estaria em acordo com o valor de 3,6 do ácido carbônico. A formação de MACs também foi observada para dióis, como o etileno glicol e polióis, como o glicerol e manitol. Foi também possível observar, por eletroforese capilar, a formação de adutos aniônicos monovalentes para açúcares, tais como a sacarose, glicose e frutose. Por fim, a pesquisa revelou a possibilidade da formação de adutos com dupla carga - os bis(carbonatos) - para alguns dióis: o 1,4-butanodiol e o 1,6-hexanodiol. Esta é a primeira vez que estas espécies foram observadas. Estes resultados sugerem a formação de adutos aniônicos para várias outras classes de compostos, as quais possuam a hidroxila na cadeia carbônica. Embora, em meio predominantemente aquoso, estas espécies não estejam em alta concentração, trata-se de um novo conjunto de espécies a serem consideradas quando se trabalha em condições propícias. The formation of monoalkyl carbonates (MACs) in aqueous medium - resulting from an alcohol and bicarbonate - was investigated by using capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D). Twenty nine substances were studied. The mono-charged anionic adducts were observed for 25 of them and double-charged species were observed for 2. Capillary electrophoresis allowed us to obtain some physical-chemical properties. The migration time was used to calculate the ionic mobility, coefficient of diffusion, and hydrodynamic radius. The radii ranged from 216 to 310 pm for the adducts formed from the n-alcohols of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, respectively. The MACs have radii proportional to the size of the alcohol, being systematically greater because of the attached carbonate group. When compared to carboxylic acids of similar carbonic chain, the MACs have smaller radii. The calculation of the kinetic constants was possible due to the double C4D detection, which allows quantitation of the MAC at two different moments along the capillary. Due to the decomposition of the MAC salt in water, a direct quantitation was not possible. Thus an indirect calibration approach was introduced, where the analyte is substituted by a stable species of similar mobility. Good agreement was obtained between the kinetic and thermodynamic constants obtained by this method and those ones available in literature. For instance, the methanol and ethanol adducts were 4.2 and 2.3 (at 25 ºC), respectively, while the literature\'s values are 3.57 and 1.80. Similarly to carbonic acid, the alkyl carbonic acids (ACAs) decompose in acid medium, which impairs the determination of the dissociation constant. Even so, studies from pH between 3 and 9 allowed us to estimate that the pKa values of the adducts for methanol, ethanol, and propanol are somewhat below 4, which is in agreement with the value 3.6 for the carbonic acid. MACs were also observed for diols and polyols as well as for sugars. Finally, double-charged species bis(carbonates) were formed with 1,4-butanediol and 1,6-hexanediol. This is the first time that these species are reported. Although the concentrations of these species are not high in an aqueous medium, they form a new set of substance to be considered in aqueous solution when the conditions are favorable.

A presente dissertação trata da implementação, em um equipamento de eletroforese capilar (CE) com detecção condutométrica sem contato (C4D), de um sistema de controle externo do fluxo eletrosmótico (EOF) via tensão radial externa (Vrad). Através do potencial externo, aplicado diretamente ao capilar, é possível ter o controle do fluxo eletrosmótico de CE, pois, de forma simplificada, esta prática acopla vetorialmente um potencial externo aplicado com o potencial através da solução tampão dentro do capilar. O emprego da técnica possibilitou o aumento de resolução de 2 aminoácidos - Leucina e Isoleucina, cujas mobilidades diferem apenas de 0,12 cm2.V-1.s-1 entre si, em ácido acético 500 mmol.L-1 com pH = 2,55. A estratégia empregada aqui foi a que denominamos de \"coluna capilar infinita\", na qual, com as sucessivas inversões na direção do EOF, conseguimos aprisionar, dentro da coluna capilar, espécies com mobilidade eletroforética menor que a mobilidade do EOF. A literatura descreve que a inversão do EOF se torna mais difícil com o aumento do pH. Foram realizados testes em eletrólitos contendo agentes inversores de fluxo como o CTAB, o CaCl2 e o BaCl2. Ambos os aditivos foram usados em concentrações muito baixas, nas quais foi mantida a direção normal do EOF, sendo que a utilizaçãode tais agentes teve a finalidade apenas de reduzir os grupos silanolatos em soluções de pH acima de 6,0. Tal estratégia proporcionou a reversão do EOF no sistema tampão MES/HIS, cujo pH estava em torno de 6,1. Por fim, a pesquisa gerou uma perspectiva interessante que é a possibilidade de se encontrar combinações de eletrólitos de corrida e surfactantes com o intuito de se estender a faixa de alcance do Vrad para valores altos de pH. This work presents the implementation, in an equipment for capillary electrophoresis (CE) with contactless conductivity detection (C4D), of a system for external control of the electroosmotic flow (EOF) via external radial voltage (Vrad). Through external potential, directly applied to the capillary, the electroosmotic flow can be controlled, because this practice couples the applied external potential to the zeta potential through the buffer solution within the capillary. The use of the technique allowed the baseline resolution of two amino acids (Leucine and Isoleucine), whose mobilities differ only by 0,12 cm2.V-1.s-1, using acetic acid 500 mmol.L-1 at pH = 2,55 as the running electrolyte. The approach, called \"infinite capillary column\", consists in successive reversals in the direction of the EOF, trapping species within the capillary column with electrophoretic mobility smaller than the EOF mobility. Thus, the two amino acids were retained by a period of approximately 120 minutes in the capillary that was enough to promote the baseline resolution. Previous works describe that the reversion of the EOF becoming more difficult as pH increases. In order to achieve a more effective control of EOF at high pH values (limiting the technique to a narrow performance band), tests were carried out in electrolytes containing flow reversing agents such as CTAB, CaCI2 and BaCI2. These additives were used at very low concentrations, which kept the normal direction of EOF, and the use of such agents had only the purpuse of reducing the density of silanolate groups in solutions of pH above 6,0. This approach allowed the reversion of the EOF using MES/HIS buffer, which pH was 6,1. Finally, this research has generated an interesting perspective about the possibility of finding combinations of electrolytes and surfactants aiming the Vrad range´s extension at high pH values.

A capillary electrophoresis–tandem mass spectrometry (CE–MS/MS) method for the simultaneous assessment of nine biogenic amines (spermine, spermidine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, phenylethylamine, tryptamine, tyramine, and urocanic acid) in commercial samples of beer and wine is introduced. The samples were submitted to a simple clean-up step with poly(vinylpolypyrrolidone) followed by filtration. Electrophoretic separation in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-coated capillary using 0.5 mol L−1 acetic acid (pH 2.5) as background electrolyte and detection by electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry was employed. The range of the correlation coefficients of the calibration curves of the analyzed compounds was 0.996–0.999, and the limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range of 1–2 μg L−1 and 3–8 μg L−1, respectively. The recovery values for samples spiked at three concentration levels (0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 mg L−1) ranged from 87 to 113% with standard deviation not greater than 5.8%. The use of a PVA-coated silica capillary allows suppressing the electroosmotic flow and, consequently, increasing of the separation efficiency. The method was successfully used to determine biogenic amines in commercial samples of beer and wine.

The hemiesters of carbonic acid, which include the monoalkyl carbonates (MACs), are a poorly-known class of species with potential interest for biological processes. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) with tandem mass spectrometry is herein introduced as a complementary technique to CE with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D) for the study of MACs. Multiple reactions monitoring mode was used to improve sensitivity and selectivity, the loss of CO2 (44 u) at low collisional energy being the key feature of the MACs. To improve the control over the temperature – and consequently over the hydrolysis of the MACs during the electrophoretic migration – a thermostating case for the silica capillary was developed. Quantitation was possible by using the estimated concentration of MAC from the initial concentrations of the reagents and the equilibrium constant in the calibration procedure. The LOD for monoethyl carbonate was 0.2 μmol L−1, which is ca. two orders of magnitude lower than the LOD obtained by CE-C4D. Using a modified BGE for the separation of MACs, the LODs for mono-3-pentyl, mono-1-butyl, mono-2-propyl, and monoethyl carbonates were 0.2, 0.5, 2, and 1.3 μmol L−1, respectively.

ESI sources continuously consume the liquid at the tip of the capillary, which causes the dragging of the BGE. The laminar nature of this flow causes the broadening of the peaks and loss of separation efficiency. The usual solution for this problem is to compensate this phenomenon by reducing the pressure at the inlet vial by either leveling of this vial or pumping off the air that is over it. However, one must know the pressure to be applied in order to prevent under- or over-compensation. The procedure herein introduced allows the easy calculation of this pressure by obtaining two electropherograms at two different values of separation voltage. The migration times of the peaks allow the calculation of the apparent mobilities even in the presence of the laminar flow. Therefore, one can calculate the contributions from both electrophoresis and hydrodynamic flow, and finally the pressure associated with the undesirable flow. This pressure is then applied as a negative pressure at the inlet vial in the following experiments. Increase of up to 192% in the number of plates was obtained in a simple experiment. In addition, the bubble forming caused by the ESI suction during injection was prevented by turning off the nebulizer gas during the changes of inlet vials.

Capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C(4)D) was used for fast, simultaneous determination of dipyrone (DIP), caffeine (CAF), and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). In the same run and in less than 1min, the degradation products from DIP and ASA were also detected. In addition, the usage of the CE-C(4)D system allowed, for the first time, the detection of methylamine as a degradation product of DIP. Capillary electrophoresis with electrospray mass spectrometry experiments were carried out in order to confirm the formation of methylamine. The limits of detection by CE-C(4)D were 5, 5, and 6μmolL(-1) for CAF, DIP, and ASA, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of these compounds in pharmaceutical formulations with similar results to those achieved by HPLC (p

CE with C⁴D (CE-C⁴D) was successfully applied to the investigation of performate, peracetate, and perpropionate in aqueous medium. Ionic mobilities, diffusion coefficients, and hydrodynamic radii were obtained for the first time for these species. CE-C⁴D was also used to estimate the pKa values of the peroxycarboxylic acids. Because the peroxycarboxylates (POCs) undergoes hydrolysis while migrating, a simple calibration curve cannot be used for quantitation. Thus, an indirect calibration approach was used. The new method was used to monitor the formation of peroxycarboxylic acids from hydrogen peroxide and the carboxylic acid as well as to the quantitation of peracetic acid in a commercial sample. The CE-C⁴D method compares favorably with the conventional titration method because of the possibility of speciation of the POC, the low sample consumption, and the low LOD (14, 8, and 24 μmol/L for performate, peracetate, and perpropionate, respectively). Although POCs are structural isomers of monoalkyl carbonates, they have greater hydrodynamic radii, which suggests that the positions of the oxygen atoms in the molecules have a direct impact in the charge density and consequently on the hydration atmosphere.

The association of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole is a very effective with antibiotic properties, and commonly used in the treatment of a variety of infections. Due to the importance in diseases treatment of humans and also of animals, the development of methods for their quantification in commercial formulations is highly desirable. In the present study, a rapid method for simultaneous determination of these compounds using CE with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was developed. A favorable working region for both analytes was from 12.5 to 200 μmol/L (linear responses with R0.999 for N = 5). Other parameters calculated were sensitivity (1.28 ± 0.10/1.45 ± 0.11) min/(μmol L), RSD (4.5%/2.0%), and LOD (1.1/3.3) μmol/L for trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, respectively. Under this condition, the total run time was only 2.6 min. The proposed method was applied to the determination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in commercial samples and the results were compared to those obtained by using a HPLC pharmacopoeia method. This new method is advantageous for quality-control analyses of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in pharmaceuticals samples, because it is rapid and precise. Moreover, it is less laborious and demands minimum amounts of reagents in comparison to the recommended method.

The formation and properties of carbonate adducts of some organic hydroxy compounds in aqueous medium were investigated. Fatty alcohols and sugars were chosen as representative classes of biological interest, and the medium was carbonated aqueous solution with pH ranging from 3.0 to 8.3. Capillary electrophoresis with two capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detectors (C⁴ Ds) was used for quantitation and to obtain the mobility of the monoalkyl carbonates (MACs), which were used to determine the equilibrium and kinetic constants of the reaction as well as the diffusion coefficients. For increasing chain length of the alcohols, the equilibrium constant tends to the unit, which suggests that fatty alcohols can form the corresponding MACs. The formation of MACs for cyclohexanol and cyclopentanol also suggest the existence of similar species for sterols. Carbonate adducts of fructose, glucose, and sucrose were also detected, which suggests that these counterparts of the well-known phosphates can also occur in the cytosol. Our calculations suggest that one in 1000 to one in 10,000 molecules of these hydroxy compounds would be available as the corresponding MAC in such a medium. Experiments carried out at pH values less than 3.0 showed that there is a catalytic effect of hydronium on the interconversion of bicarbonate and a MAC. Taking into account the great number of hydroxy compounds similar to the ones investigated and that bicarbonate is ubiquitous in living cells, one can anticipate the existence of a whole new class of carbonate adducts of these metabolites.

The presence of monoethyl carbonate (MEC) in beer and sparkling wine is demonstrated for the first time, as well as the formation of this species in drinks prepared with a distilled beverage and a carbonated soft drink. A capillary electrophoresis (CE) equipment with two capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (C4D) was used to identify and quantify this species. The concentrations of MEC in samples of lager beer and rum and cola drink were, respectively, 1.2 and 4.1 mmol/l, which agree with the levels of ethanol and CO2 available in these products. Previous results about the kinetics of the reaction suggest that only a small amount of MEC should be formed after the ingredients of a drink are mixed. However, in all three cases (whisky and club soda; rum with cola; gin and tonic water), MEC was quickly formed, which was attributed to the low pH of the drinks.

Fluoroacetate is a highly toxic species naturally found in plants and in commercial products (compound 1080) for population control of several undesirable animal species. However, it is non-selective and toxic to many other animals including humans, and thus its detection is very important for forensic purposes. This paper presents a sensitive and fast method for the determination of fluoroacetate in blood serum using capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection. Serum blood samples were treated with ethanol to remove proteins. The samples were analyzed in BGE containing 15 mmol/L histidine and 30 mmol/L gluconic acid (pH 3.85). The calibration curve was linear up to 75 μmol/L (R² =0.9995 for N=12). The detection limit in the blood serum was 0.15 mg/kg, which is smaller than the lethal dose for humans and other animals. Fluoride, a metabolite of the fluoroacetate defluorination, could also be detected for levels greater than 20 μmol/L, when polybrene was used for reversion of the EOF. CTAB and didecyldimethylammonium bromide are not useful for this task because of the severe reduction of the fluoride level. However, no interference was observed for fluoroacetate.

Although H+ and OH− are the most common ions in aqueous media, they are not usually observable in capillary electrophoresis (CE) experiments, because of the extensive use of buffer solutions as the background electrolyte. In the present work, we introduce CE equipment designed to allow the determination of such ions in a similar fashion as any other ion. Basically, it consists of a four-compartment piece of equipment for electrolysis-separated experiments (D. P. de Jesus et al., Anal. Chem., 2005, 77, 607). In such a system, the ends of the capillary are placed in two reservoirs, which are connected to two other reservoirs through electrolyte-filled tubes. The electrodes of the high-voltage power source are positioned in these reservoirs. Thus, the electrolysis products are kept away from the inputs of the capillary. The detection was provided by two capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detectors (C4D), each one positioned about 11 cm from the end of the capillary. Two applications were demonstrated: titration-like procedures for nanolitre samples and mobility measurements. Strong and weak acids (pKa < 5), pure or mixtures, could be titrated. The analytical curve is linear from 50 μM up to 10 mM of total dissociable hydrogen (r = 0.99899 for n = 10) in 10-nL samples. By including D2O in the running electrolyte, we could demonstrate how to measure the mixed proton/deuteron mobility. When H2O/D2O (9 : 1 v/v) was used as the solvent, the mobility was 289.6 ± 0.5 × 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1. Due to the fast conversion of the species, this value is related to the overall behaviour of all isotopologues and isotopomers of the Zundel and Eigen structures, as well as the Stokesian mobility of proton and deuteron. The effect of neutral (o-phenanthroline) and negatively charged (chloroacetate) bases and aprotic solvent (DMSO) over the H+ mobility was also demonstrated.

The anionic hemiesters of carbonic acid with aliphatic alcohols were demonstrated to be formed in aqueous medium containing HCO3− or CO32− by using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Some monoalkyl carbonates (MACs) have been previously detected by capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C4D), but ESI-MS is structurally diagnostic and more sensitive allowing unequivocal characterization, which allowed, for the first time, detection of hydrogen pyrocarbonate and monoalkyl pyrocarbonates (MAPs). Methanol, ethanol, and different isomers of alcohols from C3 to C6 were studied. The relatively slow kinetics of formation of the MACs allowed us to confirm their formation in solution before the electrospray process takes place. The loss of CO2 to form the corresponding alkoxide is the most important process in gas phase dissociation, but dehydro-alkoxides were also observed. Monocyclohexyl and monocyclopentyl carbonates were also characterized by ESI-MS. These species, formed from cyclohexanol and cyclopentanol in diluted aqueous solution of HCO3−, are important because these alcohols are prototypes for the hydroxyl-containing portion of sterols. No biological role has been yet attributed to either MACs or MAPs, but their spontaneous formation in aqueous solution at room temperature indicates that these species are present in biological media.