ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some examples of alkaloid determinations as they are carried out in medicine, pharmacy, forensic analysis, etc. The primary aim of sample preparation is to provide a sample free of components that may deteriorate the column and, to certain extent, other parts of the chromatographic system as well. Samples to be analyzed may be mostly classified into three main types: pharmaceutical formulations, plant materials, and biological samples. Automatic sampler systems in gas chromatography usually employ a simple low dead volume syringe providing unattended injection of a variable sample volume and the flushing of the system after injection. The choice of separation system is partially affected by the type of sample because residual contaminants present in the purified samples can interfere with certain chromatographic techniques, whereas in another system these components will be well separated or suppressed by the use of selective detection.
