Application of ion chromatography in pharmaceutical analysis

Analysis of ions using reversed-phase liquid chromatography is not straightforward. Certainly for the analysis of elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium,… other techniques have been applied, like atomic spectroscopic methods, and to a lesser extent capillary electrophoresis. However, these have several drawbacks and ion chromatography coupled with conductivity detection became the method of choice. The detection signal is largely dependent on the sample and since some pharmaceutical preparations are quite complex, existing methods can seldom be administered so that new ones need to be developed and validated. In this project we will also look at capacitively contactless conductivity detection, hoping to (partly) solve the shortcomings of conventional conductivity detection. Some examples that will be studied are inorganic cations and anions in solutions for parenteral nutrition, assay of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and degradants, as well as thiosulfate in complex matrices.