Retention of ionisable compounds on high-performance liquid chromatography XVIII: pH variation in mobile phases containing formic acid,piperazine, tris,boric acid or carbonate as buffering systems and acetonitrile as organic modifier

In the present work dissociation constants of commonly used buffering species, formic acid, piperazine, tris(hydroxymethyl)–aminomethane, boric acid and carbonate, have been determined for several acetonitrile–water mixtures. From these pK_a values a previous model has been successfully evaluated to estimate pH values in acetonitrile–aqueous buffer mobile phases from the aqueous pH and concentration of the above mentioned buffers up to 60% of acetonitrile, and aqueous buffer concentrations between 0.005 (0.001 mol L⁻¹ for formic acid–formate) and 0.1 mol L⁻¹. The relationships derived for the presently studied buffers, together with those established for previously considered buffering systems, allow a general prediction of the pH variation of the most commonly used HPLC buffers when the composition of the acetonitrile–water mobile phase changes during the chromatographic process, such as in gradient elution. Thus, they are an interesting tool that can be easily implemented in general retention models to predict retention of acid–base analytes and optimize chromatographic separations.     

Effect of temperature on acid–base equilibria in separation techniques. A review

Studies on the theoretical principles of acid–base equilibria are reviewed and the influence of temperature on secondary chemical equilibria within the context of separation techniques, in water and also in aqueous-organic solvent mixtures, is discussed. In order to define the relationships between the retention in liquid chromatography or the migration velocity in capillary electrophoresis and temperature, the main properties of acid–base equilibria have to be taken into account for both, the analytes and the conjugate pairs chosen to control the solution pH. The focus of this review is based on liquid–liquid extraction (LLE), liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE), with emphasis on the use of temperature as a useful variable to modify selectivity on a predictable basis. Simpli?ed models were evaluated to achieve practical optimizations involving pH and temperature (in LLE and CE) as well as solvent composition in reversed-phase LC.     

Combined effects of mobile phase composition and temperature on the retention of homologous and polar test compounds on polydentate C8 column

Combined effects of temperature and mobile phase on the reversed phase chromatographic behavior of alkylbenzenes and simple substituted benzenes were investigated on a Blaze C₈ polydentate silica-based column, showing improved resistance against hydrolytic breakdown at temperatures higher than 60 °C, in comparison to silica-based stationary phases with single attachment sites. For better insight into the retention mechanism on polydentate columns, we determined the enthalpy and entropy of the transfer of the test compounds from the mobile to the stationary phase. The enthalpic contribution dominated the retention at 80% or lower concentrations of methanol in the mobile phase. Entropic effects are more significant in 90% methanol and in acetonitrile–water mobile phases. Anomalies in the effects of mobile phase on the enthalpy of retention of benzene, methylbenzene and polar benzene derivatives were observed, in comparison to regular change in enthalpy and entropy of adsorption with changing concentration of organic solvent and the alkyl length for higher alkylbenzenes. The temperature and the mobile phase effects on the retention are practically independent of each other and – to first approximation – can be described by a simple model equation, which can be used for optimization of separation conditions.     

Predicting retention in reverse‐phase liquid chromatography at different mobile phase compositions and temperatures by using the solvation parameter model

The prediction capability of the solvation parameter model in reverse‐phase liquid chromatography at different methanol‐water mobile phase compositions and temperatures was investigated. By using a carefully selected set of solutes, the training set, linear relationships were established through regression equations between the logarithm of the solute retention factor, logk, and different solute parameters. The coefficients obtained in the regressions were used to create a general retention model able to predict retention in an octadecylsilica stationary phase at any temperature and methanol‐water composition. The validity of the model was evaluated by using a different set (the test set) of 30 solutes of very diverse chemical nature. Predictions of logk values were obtained at two different combinations of temperature and mobile phase composition by using two different procedures: (i) by calculating the coefficients through a mathematical linear relationship in which the mobile phase composition and temperature are involved; (ii) by using a general equation, obtained by considering the previous results, in which only the experimental values of temperature and mobile phase composition are required. Predicted logk values were critically compared with the experimental values. Excellent results were obtained considering the diversity of the test set.     

Prediction of LC retention of steroids using solvatochromic parameters

Summary The proportion of organic modifier and pH of the hydroorganic mobile phase were optimized to separate a series of nine important steroids by LC. It has been shown that linear plots of logk′ against Reichardt’sE _T ^N parameter for the mobile phase is observed over the whole range of compositions of practical importance. Data from these plots summarize an approach for optimization of resolution from only two retention measurements for each compound. pH is shown to be irrelevant. This behaviour could be extrapolated to other steroids and drastically reduce the number of retention values needed for mobile phase optimization for screening analysis of steroids in doping investigations.     

Influence of mobile phase acid-base equilibria on the chromatographic behaviour of protolytic compounds

A review about the influence of mobile phase acid-base equilibria on the liquid chromatography retention of protolytic analytes with acid-base properties is presented. The general equations that relate retention to mobile phase pH are derived and the different procedures to measure the pH of the mobile phase are explained. These procedures lead to different pH scales and the relationships between these scales are presented. IUPAC rules for nomenclature of the different pH are also presented. Proposed literature buffers for pH standardization in chromatographic mobile phases are reviewed too. Since relationships between analyte retention and mobile phase pH depends also on the pKa value of the analyte, the solute pKa data in water-organic solvent mixtures more commonly used as chromatographic mobile phase are also reviewed. The solvent properties that produce variation of the pKa values with solvent composition are discussed. Chromatographic examples of the results obtained with the different procedures for pH measurement are presented too. Application to the determination of aqueous pKa values from chromatographic retention data is also critically discussed.     

Electrochemically modulated liquid chromatographic separation of triazines and the effect of pH on retention

Electrochemically modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC) manipulates analyte retention by changing the potential applied (E_app) to a conductive stationary phase. This paper applies EMLC to the separation of a set of seven triazines which are commonly used but environmentally hazardous herbicides. Experiments herein examine the influence of E_app and the pH of the mobile phase on triazine retention. The results are discussed in terms of: (1) retention of triazines of dissimilar acid strengths and by correlations with the pH of the mobile phase; (2) how changes in E_app and acid–base equilibria modulate elution; (3) qualitative insights into EMLC-based retention; and (4) potential merits of EMLC in realizing the rapid separation of the seven-component triazine mixture.     

Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprinting method for chemical screening of metabolites in cultivation broth

A fingerprinting method for chemical screening of microbial metabolites, potential antibiotics, in spent cultivation broths is described. The method is based on high-throughput ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) separation with UV detection (photodiode array detector). Thirteen antibiotic standards and four cultivation broths were used for the method development. The comparison of ten liquid–liquid and solid phase extraction protocols for sample clean-up and pre-concentration revealed that Oasis HLB C18 sorbent gives the best recoveries. The Acquity BEH C18 chromatographic column was chosen for the samples separation with respect to its universality, selectivity, efficiency and robustness. The method is presented by two 3D fingerprints for every sample that was obtained under different, acidic and alkaline, UHPLC conditions. The acidic mobile phase consisted of 0.5% phosphoric acid with methanol and the alkaline mobile phase of 1 mM ammonium formate, pH 9 with acetonitrile. Each pair of 3D fingerprints includes the following physico-chemical information: polarity (retention time), presence and characterization of chromophores (UV spectra), compound concentration (detector response), and acid–base properties (influence of different pH of the aqueous parts of mobile phases on retention times). The sample extraction and method validation were assessed with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.5, 5.0 and 20.0% for retention times, peak areas and minor compound peak areas, respectively.     

Retention behaviour of an homologous series of oligodeoxythymidilic acids using reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography

Summary The retention behaviour of an homologous series of phosphorylated oligodeoxythymidylic acid (pd(T)_5–18) oligonucleotides was studied using reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography with isocratic elution conditions. The effects of temperature, pH, eluent ionic strength, percentage organic modifier, concentration and alkyl chain length of the ion-pairing reagent were investigated. The retention behaviour was generally explicable by current theoretical models of ion-pair chromatography. However, the marked effect of mobile phase pH on the retention of the oligonucleotides was unexpected, and this was ascribed to the presence of ionisable residual silanols on the surface of the reversed-phase packing material.     

Selectivity in reversed-phase separations: general influence of solvent type and mobile phase pH

The influence of the mobile phase on retention is studied in this paper for a group of over 70 compounds with a broad range of multiple functional groups. We varied the pH of the mobile phase (pH 3, 7, and 10) and the organic modifier (methanol, acetonitrile (ACN), and tetrahydrofuran (THF)), using 15 different stationary phases. In this paper, we describe the overall retention and selectivity changes observed with these variables. We focus on the primary effects of solvent choice and pH. For example, transfer rules for solvent composition resulting in equivalent retention depend on the packing as well as on the type of analyte. Based on the retention patterns, one can calculate selectivity difference values for different variables. The selectivity difference is a measure of the importance of the different variables involved in method development. Selectivity changes specific to the type of analyte are described. The largest selectivity differences are obtained with pH changes.     

Liquid chromatography and characterization of ether-functionalized imidazolium ionic liquids on mixed-mode reversed-phase/cation exchange stationary phase

A new series [C_nO_mmim]Cl of imidazolium cation-based ionic liquids (ILs), with an ether functional group on the alkyl side-chain, has been prepared. The possibility of analyzing the ionic liquids by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was investigated on mixed-mode reversed/cation exchange stationary phase with the aqueous-acetonitrile mobile phase. Elution parameters, such as retention factor, selectivity and column efficiency, were studied as functions of mobile phase composition and pH. The ILs were characterized by elemental analysis, and infrared, UV and ¹H, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy.     

Retention behaviour of peptides, quinolones, diuretics and peptide hormones in liquid chromatography. Influence of ionic strength and pH on chromatographic retention

Peptides, quinolones, diuretics and peptide hormones are important substances of biomedical interest. In this work a model describing the effect of pH on retention in liquid chromatography (LC) is established and tested for these compounds using an octadecylsilica column. The suggested model uses the pH value measured in the hydro-organic mixture used as mobile phase instead of the pH value in water and takes into account the effect of the activity coefficients. The proposed equations permit the prediction of the pH optimum using a minimum number of measurements and also permit the determination of the acidity constants of the compounds considered in the medium used as mobile phase. Moreover, these equations can be combined with the previously derived equations, that relate the retention with the solvent composition of the mobile phase, to establish a general model that relates the elution behaviour of the solute with the significant mobile phase properties: composition, pH and ionic strength.     

Mobile phase effects in reversed-phase chromatography VI. Thermodynamic models for retention and its dependence on mobile phase composition and temperature

Summary The physico-chemical framework is examined by comparing the predictions of three models for the combined effects of the composition of the hydroorganic mobile phase and the column temperature on the retention ofn-alkylbenzenes on hydrocarbonaceous bonded stationary phases. The well-mixed model leads to expressions for the dependence of retention on three factors which are equivalent to those derived previously from linear extrathermodynamic relationships. The diachoric model stems from the assumption that the mobile phase is microscopically heterogeneous and the displacement model is identical to the retention model most widely used in chromatography with polar sorbents and less polar solvents. Over limited ranges of mobile phase composition and temperature, each model does describe retention behavior. However, only the wellmixed model describes retention well over the entire range of mobile phase composition and temperature studied here. The success of the well-mixed model, and its limits, give insight into the role of the organic solvent in determining the magnitude of chromatographic retention on non-polar stationary phases with hydro-organic eluents.Dedicated to Professor S. R. Lipsky on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Retention prediction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in reversed phase liquid chromatography with various mobile phase compositions and column temperatures

Summary The relationship between the logarithmic capacity factor measured in reversed-phase liquid chromatography and the operating conditions including the mobile phase composition and the column temperature is investigated. The strategy described herein can offer the possibility to predict the retention of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons without any experiments and standard materials, by utilizing equations describing the relationships between retention, temperature, mobile phase composition and physicochemical properties of the solutes previously stored in the program of the microcomputer-assisted retention prediction system.This concept is one of the most promising techniques for the optimization of the separation conditions in reversed-phase liquid chromatography.     

反相液相色谱中同系物保留值与流动相组成的交点规律

本文在作者提出的反相液相色谱中同系物保留值与常沸点的交点规律基础上，推导出系物保留值与流动相组成的交点规律，用大量实验数据作了检验。并用新交点方程式，由化合物在一个流动相组成下的保留值，预测该化合物在任一流动相组成下的保留值，对１４组同系物在５种色谱柱上５类流动相下的验算结果表明，７２１个数据点的绝对平均误差为２．８％。     

Retention of ionizable compounds in high-performance liquid chromatography. IX. Modelling retention in reversed-phase liquid chromatography as a function of pH and solvent composition with acetonitrile-water mobile phases

The influence of pH and solvent composition of acetonitrile-water mobile phases on the retention of acids and bases on a polymeric stationary phase is studied. Very good relationships between retention and mobile phase pH are obtained if the pH is measured in the proper pH scale. The fit of retention to pH for a particular solvent composition provides the pKa values of the equilibria between the different acid-base species and the retention parameters of these species at this solvent composition. Several models are tested that relate these parameters to solvent composition and properties in order to propose a general model to predict retention for any mobile phase pH and composition.     

Effect of mobile phase composition, pH and buffer type on the retention of ionizable compounds in reversed-phase liquid chromatography: application to method development

Optimizing separation of ionizable compounds in order to find robust conditions has become an important part of method development in liquid chromatography. This work is an attempt to explain the observed variations of retention of acid and basic compounds with the organic modifier content in the mobile phase, according to various factors: the type of modifier, the type of buffer, the temperature and of course the type of solute. This is done by considering the variation of the so-called chromatographic pKa which refers to the pH measured in the aqueous medium and is determined from retention data. A procedure is described that accurately relates, from nine experiments, retention to solvent composition and pH. The limits of such a procedure are evaluated and two examples of optimized separations of basic compounds are given.     

Modelling of retention behaviour of solutes in micellar liquid chromatography

In micellar liquid chromatography (MLC), the resolution for a given multi-component mixture can be optimized by changing several variables, such as the concentrations of surfactant and organic modifier, the pH and temperature. However, this advantage can only be fully exploited with the development of mathematical models that describe the retention and the separation mechanisms. Several reports have appeared recently on the possibilities of accurately predicting the solute retention in MLC. Although the retention and selectivity may strongly change with varying concentrations of surfactant, organic modifier and/or pH, the observed changes are very regular, and are well described by simple models. This characteristic enables a successful prediction of retention times and compensates the negative effect of the broad and tailed chromatographic peaks obtained for some solutes when micellar eluents are used. An overview of the models proposed in the literature to describe the retention behaviour in pure micellar eluents and micellar eluents containing an organic modifier, at a fixed pH or at varying pH, is given. The equations derived permit the evaluation of the strength of micelle-solute and stationary phase-solute interactions. The prediction of the retention based on molecular properties and the use of neural networks, together with the factors affecting the prediction capability of the models (linearization of the equations, dead time, critical micellar concentration, ionic strength and temperature) are commented on. The strategies used for the optimization of resolution are also given.