Recent innovation in capillary electrokinetic chromatography with replaceable charged pseudostationary phases or additives

Recent developments of separation of neutral analytes in capillary systems with the mobile phase driven by the electroosmotic flow (EOF) and charged additives acting as a pseudostationary phase are reviewed. As pseudostationary phases a number of additives are used. Soluble polymers, either anionic or cationic, were applied as alternatives to micelles. Monomeric charged additives are also intended to form associates with the analytes, leading to selective retention and separation in a similar way as the polymeric pseudostationary phases. Dendrimers, spherical macromolecules with highly branched chains and charged terminal groups, are successfully applied for the separation of lipophilic analytes. Polymers with covalently stabilized structures are introduced in the form of permanent micelles and are therefore insensitive to the mobile phase composition, enlarging the applicability of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC).     

Evaluation of Inclusion Selectivity of (2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropyl β-cyclodextrin-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone) Copolymers Coated Silica Stationary Phase by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

A comparative study of the retention behaviour of disubstituted benzene derivatives on (2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropyl -cyclodextrin-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone) copolymers physically adsorbed onto porous silca gel was achieved. Under reversed-phase mode, the separation process is based on an inclusion complex formation, and the inclusion selectivity is strongly influenced by hydrogen bonds and/or steric effects. The influence of cyclodextrin derivatives used as mobile phase additives for the conventional reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was also examined with the aim to confirm the formation of inclusion complexes between CD derivatives and test molecules. Under normal-phase mode, it was found that the retention and separation processes are mainly controlled by hydrophilic interactions between the polar substituents of the solute and the hydroxyl groups of the cyclodextrin units. Finally, the enantiomer separation ability was briefly demonstrated.     

Dual-opposite injection electrokinetic chromatography for the unbiased, simultaneous separation of cationic and anionic compounds

The concept of dual opposite injection in capillary electrophoresis (DOI-CE) for the simultaneous separation, under conditions of suppressed electroosmotic flow, of anionic and cationic compounds with no bias in resolution and analysis time, is extended to a higher pH range in a zone electrophoresis mode (DOI-CZE). A new DOI-CE separation mode based on electrokinetic chromatography is also introduced (DOI-EKC). Whereas conventional CZE and DOI-CZE are limited to the separation of charged compounds with different electrophoretic mobilities, DOI-EKC is shown to be capable of separating compounds with the same or similar electrophoretic mobilities. In contrast to conventional EKC with charged pseudostationary phases that often interact too strongly with analytes of opposite charge, the neutral pseudostationary phases appropriate for DOI-EKC are simultaneously compatible with anionic and cationic compounds. This work describes two buffer additives that dynamically suppress electroosmotic flow (EOF) at a higher pH (6.5) than in a previous study (4.4), thus allowing DOI-CZE of several pharmaceutical bases and weakly acidic positional isomers. Several DOI-EKC systems based on nonionic (10 lauryl ether, Brij 35) or zwitterionic (SB-12, CAS U) micelles, or nonionic vesicles (Brij 30) are examined using a six-component test mixture that is difficult to separate by CZE or DOI-CZE. The effect of electromigration dispersion on peak shape and efficiency, and the effect of surfactant concentration on retention, selectivity, and efficiency are described.     

Comparison of separation selectivity in capillary electrokinetic chromatography using a cationic linear polymeric pseudo-stationary phase or monomeric additives of similar structure

The retention properties in electrically driven systems with monomeric additives were compared to an electrokinetic chromatographic system with a linear, charged polymer of similar chemical structure (all additives are quaternary tetraalkyl ammonium ions). The monomeric additives were tetramethylammonium (TMA), tetraethylammonium (TEA) and dimethylpyrrolidinium (DMP), respectively, the polymeric additive was poly(diallyldimethyl)ammonium (PDADMA). The additive concentration in the background electrolyte was 2 and 4% (w/w). The retention characteristics were based on the apparent mobilities of 10 non-charged analytes with different chemical functionality, which were transported by the anodic electroosmotic flow in the dynamically coated capillary, and retained by the counter-flowing cationic additives. From these data capacity factors were derived, which ranged up to 0.8. Association constants were calculated, and were found between 10 and 170. Roughly, the association constants increased for a given analyte in the sequence TMA相似文献   

Development and evaluation of new zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography stationary phases based on 3-P,P-diphenylphosphonium-propylsulfonate

New zwitterionic stationary phases were synthesized by covalently bonding 3-P,P-diphenylphosphonium-propylsulfonate to silica gel. The resulting materials possess both a negatively charged sulfonate group and a positively charged quaternary phosphonium group, which means that there is no net charge over a wide pH range. The retention mechanism and chromatographic behavior of polar solutes under HILIC conditions were studied on these zwitterionic phases. Compared to the commercial ZIC-HILIC column and a bare silica gel stationary phase, the newly synthesized zwitterionic stationary phases provided greater retention, higher peak efficiency and better peak symmetry in the HILIC mode. The analytes examined included: β-blockers, nucleic acid bases and nucleosides, salicylic acid and its analogues, and water soluble vitamins. Factors, such as the type of organic modifiers, solvent composition, pH and the buffer concentration of the mobile phase, have been considered as potential variables for controlling the chromatographic retention of polar analytes.     

Do reaction conditions affect the stereoselectivity in the Staudinger reaction?

The stereochemistry is one of the critical issues in the Staudinger reaction. We have proposed the origin of the stereoselectivity recently. The effects of solvents, additives, and pathways of ketene generation on the stereoselectivity were investigated by using a clean Staudinger reaction, which is a sensitive reaction system to the stereoselectivity. The results indicate that the additives, usually existed and generated in the Staudinger reaction, and the pathways of the ketene generation do not generally affect the stereoselectivity. The solvent affects the stereoselectivity. The polar solvent is favorable to the formation of trans-beta-lactams. The addition orders of the reagents affect the stereoselectivity in the Staudinger reaction between acyl chlorides and imines. The addition of a tertiary amine into a solution of the acyl chloride and the imine generally decreases the stereoselectivity, which is affected by the interval between additions of the acyl chloride and the tertiary amine, and the imine substituents. Our current results provide further understanding on the stereochemistry of the Staudinger reaction between acyl chlorides and imines and on the factors affecting the stereochemistry and also provide a method to prepare beta-lactams with the desired relative configuration via rationally tuning the stereoselectivity-controlling factors in the Staudinger reaction.     

Stationary phase-related investigations of quinine-based zwitterionic chiral stationary phases operated in anion-, cation-, and zwitterion-exchange modes

The concept of recently introduced Cinchona alkaloid-type zwitterionic chiral stationary phases (CSPs) is based on fusing key cation- and anion-exchange (CX, AX) moieties in one single low-molecular mass chiral selector (SO) with the resulting CSPs allowing enantiomer separations of a wide range of chiral ionizable analytes comprising acids, bases, and zwitterionic compounds. Herein, we report principal, systematic investigations of the ion-exchange-type retention mechanisms available with the novel zwitterionic CSPs in nonaqueous polar organic mode. Typical CX and AX processes, corresponding to the parent single ion exchangers, are confirmed also for zwitterionic CSPs. Also the mechanism leading to recognition and retention of zwitterions was found to be ion exchange mediated in a zwitterion-exchange (ZX) mode. In both AX and CX modes the additional ionizable group within the SO besides the site responsible for the respective ion-exchange process could be characterized as an intramolecular counterion (IMCI) that effectively participates in the ion-exchange equilibria and thus, contributes to solute elution. In the ZX mode both oppositely charged groups of the zwitterionic SO were found not only to be the sites for simultaneous ion pairing with the analyte but also functioned as IMCIs at the same time. The main practical consequences of the IMCI feature were significant reduction of the amounts and even elimination of acidic and basic additives required in the eluent systems to afford analyte elution while still providing faster analysis than the parent single ion-exchanger-type CSPs. The set of ten structurally different zwitterionic CSPs employed in this study facilitated the establishment of correlations between chromatographic behavior of the CSPs with particular SO elements, thereby supporting the understanding of the working principles of these novel packing materials on a molecular level.     

Single-step preparation and characterization of polymeric monolith for pressurized capillary electrochromatography of typical homologs

A monolithic stationary phase was prepared in a single step by in situ copolymerization of iso-butyl methacrylate (IBMA), ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA), and N,N-dimethylallylamine (DMAA) in a binary porogenic solvent consisting of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and 1,4-butanediol. As the frame structures of monoliths, the amino groups are linked to support the EOF necessary for driving the mobile phase through the monolithic capillary, while the hydrophobic groups are introduced to provide the nonpolar sites for the chromatographic retention. To evaluate the column performance, separations of typical kinds of neutral or charged homologs, such as alkylbenzenes, phenols (including isomeric compounds of hydroquinone, resorcin, and catechol), and anilines (including isomeric compounds of o-phenylenediamine and 1,4-phenylenediamine), were performed, respectively on the prepared column under the mode of pressurized pCEC. Effects of the buffer pH and the mobile phase composition on the linear velocity of mobile phase and the retention factors of these compounds were investigated. It was found that the retention mechanism of charged solutes could be attributed to a mixed mode of hydrophobic interaction and electrophoresis, while an RP chromatographic behavior on the monolithic stationary phases was exhibited for neutral solutes. Especially, basic compounds such as anilines were well separated on the monolithic columns in the "counterdirectional mode," which effectively eliminated the electrostatic adsorption of basic analytes on the charged surface of the stationary phases.     

Simultaneous determination of cations, zwitterions and neutral compounds using mixed-mode reversed-phase and cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography

A novel mixed-mode reversed-phase and cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is described to simultaneously determine four related impurities of cations, zwitterions and neutral compounds in developmental Drug A. The commercial column is Primesep 200 containing hydrophobic alkyl chains with embedded acidic groups in H(+) form on a silica support. The mobile phase variables of acid additives, contents of acetonitrile and concentrations of potassium chloride have been thoroughly investigated to optimize the separation. The retention factors as a function of the concentrations of potassium chloride and the percentages of acetonitrile in the mobile phases are investigated to get an insight into the retention and separation mechanisms of each related impurity and Drug A. Furthermore, the elution orders of the related impurities and Drug A in an ion-pair chromatography (IPC) are compared to those in the mixed-mode HPLC to further understand the chromatographic retention behaviors of each related impurity and Drug A. The study found that the positively charged Degradant 1, Degradant 2 and Drug A were retained by both ion-exchange and reversed-phase partitioning mechanisms. RI2, a small ionic compound, was primarily retained by ion-exchange. RI4, a neutral compound, was retained through reversed-phase partitioning without ion-exchange. Moreover, the method performance characteristics of selectivity, sensitivity and accuracy have been demonstrated to be suitable to determine the related impurities in the capsules of Drug A.     

Retention mechanism for ion-pair chromatography with chaotropic reagents

During the last decade, the extensive use of ion-pair chromatography (IPC) in protein, peptides and basic drugs applications prompted chromatographers to evaluate new additives, since traditional ion-pairing reagents (IPRs) are not usually compatible with LC-MS hyphenation and tend to stick very strongly to the stationary phase, thereby impairing the initial column properties. Chaotropic salts received a great share of credit as tentative IPRs, since they proved to be able to mimic the role of classical IPRs, thereby increasing the retention of oppositely charged analytes. Very few quantitative theoretical studies faced the retention modelling when chaotropic additives are made use of in a chromatographic system and, unfortunately, they used a stoichiometric approach. We hereby debate the present state of the theory and illustrate the first attempt to explain the retention mechanism in the presence of chaotropic reagents in RP-HPLC at a thermodynamic level. We quantitatively validate this model for typical positively and negatively charged analytes as well as for ionic liquid, zwitterionic and neutral analytes.     

High performance liquid chromatography separation of structurally related enkephalins on quaternary ammonium-embedded stationary phase in isocratic mode

Separation of twelve enkephalins was investigated on a quaternary ammonium-embedded stationary phase (Stability BS-C23). Variation of buffer pH of the mobile phase highlighted the complex relationship between repulsive/attractive electrostatic interactions and the reversed-phase partitioning mechanism. The effect of three different anions employed as additives (phosphate, chloride and perchlorate) was examined at various concentrations and two pH values (acidic and neutral). At pH 2.5, an increase in the anion eluent concentration resulted in a higher retention factors of positively charged enkephalins. This effect was more pronounced when perchlorate ions were added to the mobile phase rather than phosphate and chloride ions, due to chaotropic and ion-pairing effects. In contrast, at pH 7.5, retention factors of negatively charged enkephalins decreased when these salts were added, due to an anion-exchange mechanism. Perchlorate caused a sharper decrease than chloride and phosphate anions did. The results presented here provide insight into the possible adjustment of retention and separation of peptides on a mixed-mode stationary phase (BS-C23) by a careful control of the buffer pH, the nature and concentration of anions, added to the buffer, and organic modifier content.     

Preparation of a Novel Amino-Phosphate Zwitterionic Stationary Phase for Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography

A new stationary phase which contains both negatively charged phosphate groups and positively charged amino groups was successfully synthesized by modification of amino-functionalized silica particles with trichlorophosphine oxide (POCl₃) for hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). The composition of the surface grafts was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Various parameters, such as column temperature, water content, pH values and ionic strength of the mobile phase were investigated to study the retention mechanism. The results demonstrated that the stationary phase involved a complex retention process including surface adsorption, partitioning and electrostatic interactions. Under optimized conditions, the separation of nucleobases and nucleosides, water-soluble vitamins, organic acids on the novel stationary phase could be achieved in the HILIC mode.     

Preparation and comparison of three zwitterionic stationary phases for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

Surface‐bonded zwitterionic stationary phases have shown highlighted performances in separation of polar and hydrophilic compounds under hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode. So, it would be helpful to evaluate the characteristics of zwitterionic stationary phases with different arranged charged groups. The present work involved the preparation and comparison of three zwitterionic stationary phases. An imidazolium ionic liquid was designed and synthesized, and the cationic and anionic moieties respectively possessed positively charged imidazolium ring and negatively charged sulfonic groups. Then, the prepared ionic liquid, phosphorylcholine and an imidazolium‐based zwitterionic selector were bonded on the surface of silica to obtain three zwitterionic stationary phases. The selectivity properties were characterized and compared through the relative retention of selected solute pairs, and different kinds of hydrophilic solutes mixtures were used to evaluate the chromatographic performances. Moreover, the zwitterionic stationary phases were further characterized by the modified linear solvation energy relationship model to probe the multiple interactions. All the results indicated that the types and arrangement of charged groups in zwitterionic stationary phases mainly affect the retention and separation of ionic or ionizable compounds, and for interaction characteristics the contribution from n and π electrons and electrostatic interactions displayed certain differences.     

Effect of zeta potential on retention and drainage of secondary fibres

The experiments have been carried out in the laboratory to investigate the interactions among negatively charged fibres, fines and positively charged polymer particles on two different papermaking slurries of old corrugated containers (OCC) pulp and mixed office waste (MOW) paper pulp. The effects of different wet-end chemicals such as polyacrylamide, polyamide amine and polyethylene amine on fibre surface chemistry have been followed by electrokinetic measurements (zeta potential) of papermaking stock to control the retention and drainage and see how well they perform in the wet-end of the paper machine. The flocculation behaviour has been investigated by different procedures: dewatering test and measuring the first pass retention. Treatment of pulps with chemical additives resulted in substantial improvement of drainage with increase in first pass retention. For OCC pulp, the best results were obtained with 0.5% polyacrylamide improving the drainage by 82% with corresponding first pass retention of 87.5% against 81.8% for the control pulp. However, for MOW pulp, the best results were obtained with 0.3% polyethylene amine improving the drainage by 63% with corresponding first pass retention of 86.0% against 74.2% for the control pulp. The studies on zeta potential of secondary fibres revealed the dependence of first pass retention and drainage on zeta potential of pulps. As the zeta potential approaches zero, the conditions approach optimum for first pass retention and drainage. This way, zeta potential control can lead to environmental protection and competitiveness by using secondary fibres more extensively.     

Preparation of a Novel Amino-Phosphate Zwitterionic Stationary Phase for Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography

A new stationary phase which contains both negatively charged phosphate groups and positively charged amino groups was successfully synthesized by modification of amino-functionalized silica particles with trichlorophosphine oxide (POCl₃) for hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). The composition of the surface grafts was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Various parameters, such as column temperature, water content, pH values and ionic strength of the mobile phase were investigated to study the retention mechanism. The results demonstrated that the stationary phase involved a complex retention process including surface adsorption, partitioning and electrostatic interactions. Under optimized conditions, the separation of nucleobases and nucleosides, water-soluble vitamins, organic acids on the novel stationary phase could be achieved in the HILIC mode.

     

Analysis of hydrophilic metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry using a silica hydride-based stationary phase

A novel silica hydride-based stationary phase was used to evaluate the retention behavior in the aqueous normal-phase (ANP) mode of standards representing three classes of metabolites. The effects on retention behavior of amino acids, carbohydrates and small organic acids were examined by altering the column temperature, and by adding different additives to both the mobile phase and sample solvent. Gradient mode results revealed the repeatability of retention times to be very stable for these compound classes. At both 15 and 30 degrees C, excellent RSD values were obtained with less than 1% variation for over 50 injections of an amino acid mixture. The ability to separate the 19 nonderivatized amino acid standards, organic acids and carbohydrates was demonstrated as well as the potential for this material to separate polar metabolites in complex fluids such as urine.     

Retention Behavior of Neutral and Positively and Negatively Charged Solutes on an Immobilized‐Artificial‐Membrane (IAM) Stationary Phase

The retention behavior of neutral, positively charged, and negatively charged solutes on the IAM.PC.DD2 stationary phase was investigated and compared. A set of monofunctional compounds and complex drugs (steroids, nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, and β‐blockers) were selected for this study, i.e., neutral solutes and solutes with acidic or basic functionalities which are positively charged or negatively charged at pH 7.0. The correlation between the retention factor log k_w at pH 7.0 on the IAM.PC.DD2 stationary phase and the partition coefficient log P_oct or the distribution coefficient log D_7.0 showed that the retention mechanism depends on the charge state and structural characteristics of the compounds. The neutrals were least retained on the IAM.PC.DD2 stationary phase, and positively charged solutes were more retained than negatively charged ones. This implies that the retention of the charged solutes is controlled not only by lipophilicity but also by the electrostatic interaction with the phospholipid, with which positively charged solutes interact more strongly than negatively charged ones.     

Analysis of sulfobutyl ether-beta-cyclodextrin mixtures by ion-spray mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-ion-spray mass spectrometry

A comparison is made of the retention properties of additives applied as positively charged pseudo-stationary phases for electrokinetic chromatography of neutral analytes. All additives have a quaternary ammonium as functional group. The polymeric additive [poly(N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-N-trimethylenehexamethylenediammonium), Polybrene] has a concentration of 2% (w/w) in the background electrolyte (acetate, pH 5.2). Monomeric octyltrimethylammonium (OTMA) was used at a concentration below or above its critical micelle concentration (CMC) (140 mmol/l). At a concentration (259 mmol/l) above the CMC the system is that normally used for micellar electrokinetic chromatography with cationic micelles. However, even below the CMC, where OTMA is present as monomer, retention of the neutral analytes is observed as well. In all systems coating of the capillary wall with Polybrene establishes an electroosmotic flow directed towards the anode, counter-migrating to the electrophoretic movement of the additive. Based on the measurement of the mobility of the analytes (15 small, monofunctional aromatic compounds with different functional groups), their capacity factors, k(i), were determined in all systems. Low correlation of the k(i) values is observed between the particular systems, indicating their different selectivity at least for individual pairs of analytes. Based on the log k(i) values, a linear free energy relationship was applied to elucidate the main types of chemical interaction responsible for retention. As a result, cavity formation and n or pi electron interactions were found being significant for the micellar OTMA system, which agrees with findings described in the literature for other (cationic and anionic) micellar systems. For the polymeric system and for the monomeric OTMA system, the significant retention parameter is indicating n and pi electron interactions.     

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography with mixed mode stationary phases

Mixed mode stationary phases with ion-pairing reagent (acidic or basic) as integral part of hydrophobic chain offers unique selectivity, and hence, are ideal for multidimensional separations. The retention of hydrophobic components is a function of organic content, whereas that of charged species is a function of organic content, ionogenic modifier and its level in the mobile phase. Hence, by controlling the parameters influencing component retention (stationary phase and mobile phase), the selectivity of chemical components in the two-dimensional plane can be manipulated to improve the separation. A two-dimensional liquid chromatograph has been developed by coupling similar and dissimilar mixed mode stationary phases in the two dimensions. This technique has immense potential in resolving co-eluting components as the retention mechanism in the two-dimensions are complementary. However, with only part of the primary column eluent sampled into the secondary column, the technique is limited to qualitative analysis.