Separation of 9,10-anthraquinone derivatives: evaluation of functionalised stationary phases in reversed phase mode

A series of reversed phases bonded with several functional groups was investigated for separation of anthraquinone derivatives, following the previous work, dedicated to the selectivity of octadecyl silica bonded phases. Considering wide diversity of substitutions in hydrophobic anthraquinone skeleton, interactions like dipole-dipole, π-π or H-bond acceptor/donor, as well as inclusion complexes formation can be employed to improve separation. In this study, several phases with grafts like cyano, nitro, aromatic, PEG, diol, calixarene and cyclodextrin were used with water-acetonitrile gradient for separation of thirty anthraquinoids' standards. The evaluation of performances was measured using the symmetry parameter and the number of critical pairs of peaks formed. The results point out the aromatic and calixarene bonded silica as the most interesting in terms of symmetry and critical pairs number. Finally we tested the performance of Caltrex Resorcinaren, Pursuit XRs DP and Luna Phenyl-Hexyl on real samples of anthraquinone natural dye extracted from a red thread taken from a 15th C. tapestry. We observed and compared the retention behaviour of some new anthraquinoids additional to our standards set and showing behaviour particular to substituted anthraquinone carboxylic acids.     

Titania-based stationary phase in separation of ondansetron and its related compounds

Improvements in stationary phase stability have been and remain a great task for research of new stationary phases. Metal oxide-based stationary phases appear as one of perspective alternatives to classical silica based stationary phases regarding to their similar effectiveness, different selectivity, different retention mechanism and mainly better chemical and thermal stability. In this study, the retention behaviour of ondansetron and its five pharmacopoeial impurities on TiO(2)-based reversed phase was investigated. The influence of buffer type, pH and concentration on retention was studied. Different types and amount of organic solvent in mobile phase were tested. The effect of temperature and flow rate on separation was investigated. The separation conditions were optimized and developed method validated. The retention parameters - retention time (t(R)), retention factor (k'), theoretical plate number (N), resolution between peaks due to nearby peaks (R(s)) and symmetry factor (A(s)) have been compared to parameters achieved on polybutadiene-coated zirconia column. The thermodynamic parameters of retention of analysed compounds - enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy - were calculated and compared to those achieved on polybutadiene-coated zirconia column. This work proves similarity of retention behaviour of ondansetron and its five related compounds on zirconia-based and titania-based stationary phases and potential utilisation of polyethylene covered TiO(2)-based reversed stationary phase as an alternative to polybutadiene-coated ZrO(2) stationary phase in pharmaceutical analysis of ondansetron.     

Screening approach for chiral separation of pharmaceuticals. Part I. Normal-phase liquid chromatography

A strategy for rapid screening for the separation of chiral molecules of pharmaceutical interest by normal-phase liquid chromatography using three cellulose/amylose stationary phases is proposed. In a first step, the most important parameters for the separations were determined and studied for their effects by means of experimental designs. Results showed that the cellulose tris-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate), the amylose tris-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) and the cellulose tris-(4-methylbenzoate) stationary phases have very broad and complementary enantiorecognition properties. The type of organic modifier used in the mobile phase appeared to have a dramatic influence on the quality of the separation. Based on the results of the preliminary study, a screening strategy was developed and successfully applied to a set of 36 diverse drugs. Enantiomeric separation was observed in 89% of cases and the analysis times were usually shorter than 20 min.     

Study of retention behaviour and mass spectrometry compatibility in zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction chromatography for the separation of modified nucleosides and nucleobases

A study has been made of the chromatographic behaviour of modified nucleosides and nucleobases using different stationary phases with functional groups of polar nature, all of them compatible with aquoorganic mobile phases. The stationary phases assayed were a pentafluorophenylpropyl (PFP) column for reverse phase separation, and another two for hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) separation. Six modified nucleosides and nucleobases (hydroxylated and methylated derivatives) were chosen as the target analytes. In the study, chromatographic resolution as well as the sensitivity in detection by mass spectrometry were taken into account. The results obtained showed that the zwitterionic (ZIC-HILIC) column was the most suitable one for the separation of these analytes. From the study of the different parameters affecting separation it may be concluded that in the ZIC-HILIC column separation is based on a mechanism of partition and interaction through weak electrostatic forces.     

Capillary liquid chromatography as a tool for separation of hydrophobic basic drugs. Relation between tests for column characterization and real analysis

Two capillary columns for reversed phase (RP) capillary liquid chromatography (CLC), viz. Nucleosil 100‐5 C18 and LiChrosorb RP‐select B, were characterized by the Walters test, i.e. the chromatographic test proposed for RP stationary phases. Hydrophobicity indices were determined not only in acetonitrile/water mobile phase, as proposed in the test, but they were also measured in buffered systems. This approach was used to quantify the influence of mobile phase composition on the modification of the surface of the stationary phases. In the next step, small basic compounds differing in their hydrophobicity and basicity were selected and their retention on the stationary phases in mobile phases of the same composition as used for column testing was examined. Furthermore, the retention of newly synthesized drugs, chemotherapeutics derived from thioacridine and pyridoquinoline, differing in their structures, basicity, and hydrophobicity, was also studied. The composition of the mobile phases had to be shifted to higher contents of organic modifiers – acetonitrile or methanol – in order to elute these hydrophobic compounds from the columns. The question we wanted to answer was: How is the method for testing of reversed phases related to retention, separation efficiency, and peak symmetry of various analytes?     

PEG-linked geminal dicationic ionic liquids as selective, high-stability gas chromatographic stationary phases

It is known that room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have wide applicability in many scientific and technological fields. In this work, a series of three new dicationic room-temperature ionic liquids functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linkages were synthesized and characterized via a linear solvation model. The application of these ILs as new GC stationary phases was studied. The efficient separation of several mixtures containing compounds of different polarities and 24 components of a flavor and fragrance mixture indicated comparable or higher resolving power for the new IL stationary phases compared to the commercial polysiloxane and poly(ethylene glycol)-based stationary phases. In addition, the selectivities of the IL stationary phases could be quite unique. The separation of a homologous alkane and alcohol mixture displayed the “dual nature” of these ionic liquids as GC stationary phases. The thermal stability study showed the column robustness up to 350 °C. The high separation power, unique selectivity, high efficiency and high thermal stability of the new dicationic ionic liquids indicate that they may be applicable as a new type of robust GC stationary phase.     

Separation of Isomers on Nematic Liquid Crystal Stationary Phases in Gas Chromatography: A Review

Understanding the composition of complex hydrocarbon mixtures is important for environmental studies in diverse fields, but many prevalent compounds cannot be confidently identified using traditional gas chromatography (GC) techniques. Increasing requirements on analyses of isomeric compounds and the problems encountered in their separation demand a study of more efficient systems which exhibit a high selectivity. Kelker and Fresenius first used nematic liquid crystals as stereospecific stationary phases in GC. Nematic liquid crystal has shown this particular selectivity and sensitivity as stationary phases for the separation of isomers having similar volatilities. Because of their unique selectivity towards rigid solute isomers, liquid crystal stationary phases were considered at one time to be a very promising class of materials that give gas chromatographic separations very different from those that can be obtained with any other stationary phase. Since then, a great deal of attention has been paid to the separation properties of this relatively wide group of substances. Liquid crystal can be used to separate a variety of compounds including isomer mixtures which cannot be separated on conventional stationary phases. This paper aims to review all specific experimental results and presents a comparative analytical study of monomeric nematic liquid crystal stationary phases used in GC. A further contribution of this review is in the field of isomeric compounds separation.     

Comparison of zirconia- and silica-based reversed stationary phases for separation of enkephalins

In this study, the separation of biologically active peptides on two zirconia-based phases, polybutadiene (PBD)-ZrO2 and polystyrene (PS)-ZrO2, and a silica-based phase C18 was compared. Basic differences in interactions on both types of phases led to quite different selectivity. The retention characteristics were investigated in detail using a variety of organic modifiers, buffers, and temperatures. These parameters affected retention, separation efficiency, resolution and symmetry of peaks. Separation systems consisting of Discovery PBD-Zr column and mobile phase composed of a mixture of acetonitrile and phosphate buffer, pH 2.0 (45:55, v/v) at 70 degrees C and Discovery PS-Zr with acetonitrile and phosphate buffer, pH 3.5 in the same (v/v) ratio at 40 degrees C were suitable for a good resolution of enkephalin related peptides. Mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and phosphate buffer, pH 5.0 (22:78, v/v) was appropriate for separation of enkephalins on Supelcosil C18 stationary phase.     

Comparison of retention on traditional alkyl, polar endcapped, and polar embedded group stationary phases

The development of new RP stationary phases containing polar groups has provided the chromatographer with a variety of stationary phase choices with differing selectivities. Polar endcapped and polar embedded group stationary phases have found use in solving a wide variety of separation problems, especially for the efficient separation of organic bases as well as separations necessitating the use of highly aqueous mobile phases. In this report, the retention thermodynamics of small, nonpolar solutes on traditional alkyl, polar endcapped, and polar embedded group stationary phases are compared. It is found that the nonpolar (methylene) transfer enthalpy is less favorable when polar embedded group phases are used, when compared to traditional or polar endcapped phases. In contrast, the transfer enthalpy of a phenyl group is found to be more favorable when a polar endcapped phase is used. In addition, the retention characteristics of these phases are compared using a set of solutes with differing solvatochromic parameters. Hydrogen-bond acids appear to have enhanced retention on polar embedded group phases, while hydrogen-bond bases have enhanced retention on polar endcapped phases.     

聚苯乙烯包夹硅基高效液相色谱固定相的研究

用包夹聚合法制备出一种新型的聚苯乙烯包夹硅基高效液相色谱固定相并进行了固定相的表征。对色谱行为的研究表明此固定相在分离碱性、强极性溶质时有良好的分离性能,固定相在较高ｐＨ的洗脱液中有较好的稳定性。     

Simultaneous separation and enantioseparation of thalidomide and its hydroxylated metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography in common-size columns, capillary liquid chromatography and nonaqueous capillary electrochromatography

The separation of thalidomide (TD) and its hydroxylated metabolites including their simultaneous enantioseparation was studied using three different polysaccharide-type chiral stationary phases (CSPs) in combination with polar organic mobile phases. Three different techniques, high-performance liquid chromatography in common-size columns, capillary LC and nonaqueous capillary electrochromatography were compared in terms of separation. As this study illustrates, polar organic mobile phases represent a valuable extension for less polar and polar aqueous-organic mobile phases in combination with polysaccharide CSPs. Chiralpak AD consisting of 25% of amylose-tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) coated on wide-pore aminopropylsilanized silica gel exhibited higher resolving ability compared to the similar cellulose derivative (Chiralcel OD) as well as to cellulose-tris(4-methylbenzoate) (Chiralcel OJ) CSPs for this particular set of chiral analytes. Baseline separation and simultaneous enantioseparation of all three compounds could be achieved under optimized separation conditions.     

Investigation of polar stationary phases for the separation of sympathomimetic drugs with nano-liquid chromatography in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography mode

In this study, the retention and selectivity of a mixture of basic polar drugs were investigated in hydrophilic interaction chromatographic conditions (HILIC) using nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC). Six sympathomimetic drugs including ephedrine, norephedrine, synephrine, epinephrine, norepinephrine and norphenylephrine were separated by changing experimental parameters such as stationary phase, acetonitrile (ACN) content, buffer pH and concentration, column temperature. Four polar stationary phases (i.e. cyano-, diol-, aminopropyl-silica and Luna HILIC, a cross-linked diol phase) were selected and packed into fused silica capillary columns of 100 μm internal diameter (i.d.). Among the four stationary phases investigated a complete separation of the all studied compounds was achieved with aminopropyl silica and Luna HILIC stationary phases only. Best chromatographic results were obtained employing a mobile phase composed by ACN/water (92/8, v/v) containing 10 mM ammonium formate buffer pH 3. The influence of the capillary temperature on the resolution of the polar basic drugs was investigated in the range between 10 and 50 °C. Linear correlation of ln k vs. 1/T was observed for all the columns; ΔH° values were negative with Luna HILIC and positive with aminopropyl- and diol-silica stationary phases, demonstrating that different mechanisms were involved in the separation.To compare the chromatographic performance of the different columns, Van Deemter curves were also investigated.     

Ion‐exchange vs reversed‐phase chromatography for separation and determination of basic psychotropic drugs

Ion exchange chromatography, an alternative to reversed‐phase (RP) chromatography, is described in this paper. We aimed to obtain optimal conditions for the separation of basic drugs because silica‐based RP stationary phases show silanol effect and make the analysis of basic analytes hardly possible. The retention, separation selectivity, symmetry of peaks and system efficiency were examined in different eluent systems containing different types of buffers at acidic pH and with the addition of organic modifiers: methanol and acetonitrile. The obtained results reveal a large influence of the salt cation used for buffer preparation and the type of organic modifier on the retention behavior of the analytes. These results were also compared with those obtained on an XBridge C₁₈ column. The obtained results demonstrated that SCX stationary phases can be successfully used as alternatives to C₁₈ stationary phases in the separation of basic compounds. The most selective and efficient chromatographic systems were applied for the quantification of some psychotropic drugs in fortified human serum samples. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Separation Characteristics of Ionic Liquids Grafted Polymethylsiloxanes Stationary Phases for Capillary GC

Ionic liquids (ILs) grafted polymethylsiloxane (PMS) stationary phases (IL-PMS) for capillary gas chromatography (CGC) are described. The stationary phases were synthesized by grafting 1-vinyl-3-hexylimidazolium (VHIm) with either NTf ₂ ^? or PF₆ ^? anion to poly(methylhydrosiloxane) (PMS-VHIm-NTf₂, PMS-VHIm-PF₆) and coated statically onto fused-silica capillary columns. Separation characteristics of the stationary phases involving Abraham solvation parameters, separation ability and thermal stability were investigated. The obtained solvation parameters reveal that both IL-PMS stationary phases exhibited unique intermolecular interactions compared with either ILs or PMS due to the synergistic effect of ILs and PMS chemically combining together. The separation performance of the IL-PMS stationary phases was investigated by a Grob mixture and a complex mixture of 26 compounds of different types. The results show that the present stationary phases exhibit excellent resolution and selectivity for the analytes of interest with narrow and symmetric peak shapes. Thermal stability was also investigated by column bleed profiles with satisfactory results. The satisfactory chromatographic performance and thermal stability of the IL-PMS stationary phases suggest their great potential as a new type of CGC stationary phases.     

Adjusting the chromatographic properties of poly(ionic liquid)‐modified stationary phases by substitution on the imidazolium cation

Poly(ionic liquid)‐modified stationary phases can have multiple interactions with solutes. However, in most stationary phases, separation selectivity is adjusted by changing the poly(ionic liquid) anions. In this work, two poly(ionic liquid)‐modified silica stationary phases were prepared by introducing the cyano or tetrazolyl group on the pendant imidazolium cation on the polymer chains. Various analytes were selected to investigate their mechanism of retention in the stationary phases using different mobile phases. Two poly(ionic liquid)‐modified stationary phases can provide various interactions toward solutes. Compared to the cyano‐functionalized poly(ionic liquid) stationary phase, the tetrazolyl‐functionalized poly(ionic liquid) stationary phase provides additional cation‐exchange and π‐π interactions, resulting in different separation selectivity toward analytes. Finally, applicability of the developed stationary phases was demonstrated by the efficient separation of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs.     

On the separation of small molecules by means of nano-liquid chromatography with methacrylate-based macroporous polymer monoliths

Macroporous monolithic poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) stationary phases were synthesized in the confines of 100 μm I.D. fused-silica capillaries via a free radical copolymerization of mono and divinyl monomeric precursors in the presence of porogenic diluents. These columns were used in order to determine their suitability for the reversed-phase separation of small molecules in isocratic nano-LC mode. Carefully designed experiments at varying realized phase ratio by a terminated polymerization reaction, as well as content of organic modifier in the mobile phase, address the most significant parameters affecting the isocratic performance of these monoliths in the separation of small molecules. We show that the performance of methacrylate-based porous polymer monoliths is strongly affected by the retention factor of the analytes separated. A study of the porous and hydrodynamic properties reveals that the actual nature of the partition and adsorption of the small analyte molecules between mobile and stationary (solvated) polymer phases are most crucial for their performance. This is due to a significant gel porosity of the polymeric stationary phase. The gel porosity reflects stagnant mass transfer zones restricting their applicability in the separation of small molecules under conditions of strong retention.     

Effect of chromatographic conditions on the separation and system efficiency for HPLC of selected alkaloids on different stationary phases

Retention parameters of alkaloid standards were determined on different stationary phases, i.e., octadecyl silica, base-deactivated octadecyl silica, cyanopropyl silica, preconditioned cyanopropyl silica, and pentafluorophenyl, using different aqueous eluant systems: acetonitrile-water mixtures; buffered aqueous mobile phases at pH 3 or 7.8; and aqueous eluants containing ion-pairing reagents (octane-1-sulfonic acid sodium salt and pentane-1-sulfonic acid sodium salt) or silanol blockers (tetrabutyl ammonium chloride and diethylamine). Improved peak symmetry and separation selectivity for basic solutes was observed when basic buffer, ion-pairing reagents, and, especially, silanol blockers as mobile phase additives were applied. The best separation selectivity and most symmetric peaks for the investigated alkaloids were obtained in systems containing diethylamine in the mobile phase. The influence of acetonitrile concentration and kind and concentration of ion-pairing reagents or silanol blockers on retention, peak symmetry, and system efficiency was also examined. The most efficient and selective systems were used for separation of the investigated alkaloids and analysis of Fumaria officinalis and Glaucium flavum plant extracts.     

Effect of ionic liquid additives to mobile phase on separation and system efficiency for HPLC of selected alkaloids on different stationary phases

The silica-based stationary phases with favorable physical characteristics are the most popular in liquid chromatography. However, there are several problems with silica-based materials: severe peak tailing in the chromatography of basic compounds, non-reproducibility for the same chemistry columns, and limited pH stability. Ionic liquids (ILs) as mobile phase components can reduce peak tailing by masking residual free silanol groups. The chromatographic behavior of some alkaloids from different classes was studied on C18, phenyl, and pentafluorophenyl columns with different kinds and concentrations of ionic liquids as additives to aqueous mobile phases. Ionic liquids with different alkyl substituents on different cations or with different counterions as eluent additives were investigated. The addition of ionic liquids has great effects on the separation of alkaloids: decrease in band tailing, increase in system efficiency, and improved resolution. The retention, separation selectivity, and sequence of alkaloid elution were different when using eluents containing various ILs. The increase of IL concentration caused an increase in silanol blocking, thus conducted to decrease the interaction between alkaloid cations and free silanol groups, and caused a decrease of alkaloids retention, improvement of peak symmetry, and increase of theoretical plate number in most cases. The effect of ILs on stationary phases with different properties was also examined. The different properties of stationary phases resulted in differences in analyte retention, separation selectivity, peak shape, and system efficiency. The best shape of peaks and the highest theoretical plate number for most investigated alkaloids in mobile phases containing IL was obtained on pentafluorophenyl (PFP) phase.     

Chiral separability of boron cluster species studied by screening approaches utilizing polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phases

In this study, the screening steps of chiral separation strategies with polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phases were applied on boron cluster compounds in normal‐phase liquid chromatography (NPLC) and polar organic solvents chromatography (POSC). Since the screening steps were initially developed to analyze organic compounds, their applicability for boron clusters was investigated. Overall, the screening steps in NPLC were applicable for the separation of zwitterions, while for anions mostly no elution was observed. A hypothesis for the latter behavior is precipitation of anions in the nonpolar mobile phases. Ten out of 11 compounds could be partially or baseline separated on the NPLC screening systems. In POSC, all zwitterions were separated on at least one of the screening systems, with an overall lower retention as in NPLC. Anions were detected but not separated in the majority of the experiments. Also their retention on the chiral stationary phases was very limited. This study showed that the chiral discrimination potential of chemically modified polysaccharides is meaningful for chiral separations of structurally chiral boron cluster species, but needs further systematic research, in which recognition mechanisms should be further explored. In addition, some unusual peaks also indicated that conditions with a high separation efficiency must first be searched for some of the tested systems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Separation of Tetracycline Antibiotics by Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography Using an Amino-Propyl Stationary Phase

In this work the potential of hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is explored for the analysis of tetracycline antibiotics. The choice of the polar stationary phase is first discussed and it is demonstrated that aminopropyl stationary phases lead to higher efficiencies and peak symmetry than bare silica ones. The influence of the composition of the mobile phase is studied next : the concentration of the weaker solvent (acetonitrile), the nature and concentration of the more polar solvent (water or methanol), pH, the nature and ionic strength of the buffer. It is shown that high efficiencies are reached only with a citrate buffer that impairs the interactions with the residual silanol groups whatever the mobile phase pH is. We demonstrate that the citrate buffer strongly interacts with the cationic moiety of the aminopropyl stationary phase and thus reduces the accessibility of silanols. The separation of oxytetracycline, tetracycline and chlortetracycline is achieved in a few minutes at pH 3.5 or 5, with no peak tailing as usually observed in reversed phase liquid chromatography with an opposite elution order when compared with reversed phase liquid chromatography.