I. Quantitative high performance thin layer chromatography : Determination of psycho-pharmacological drugs in blood serum II. Analysis of volatile metabolites in blood serum of cancer patients by high resolution gas chromatography with a nitrogen selective detector

The introduction of High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography facilitated the quantitative determination of trace materials. This technique shows enhanced spot resolution and has a detection limit in the subnanogram range. Because of the highly efficient chromatographic system, the analysis time is greatly shortened. The work described here represents the first application of HPTLC in the determination of blood levels of some psychopharmacological agents, i.e., chlorpromazine and tricyclic antidepressants. The performance of the complete system was first evaluated and found to be superior to other systems described in the literature. The serum samples were then subjected to a simple but specific solvent extraction step, dosed and chromatographed on the adsorbent layer of high efficiency. A computing integrator in the system facilitated the data collection. The quantitation was achieved via internal standards and calibration curves. The efficiency of the extraction, the precision, accuracy and specificity of the method were carefully studied. This analytical assay is highly selective and has a low limit of detection of 5 ng/ml. The potential of a new chromatographic system, U-chamber as an alternative means for separations was also briefly explored.