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 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.     

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography: A promising alternative to reversed‐phase liquid chromatography systems for the purification of small protonated bases

The overloaded band profiles of the protonated species of propranolol and amitriptyline were recorded under acidic conditions on four classes of stationary phases including a conventional silica/organic hybrid material in reversed‐phase liquid chromatography mode (BEH‐C₁₈), an electrostatic repulsion reversed‐phase liquid chromatography C₁₈ column (BEH‐C₁₈+), a poly(styrene‐divinylbenzene) monolithic column, and a hydrophilic interaction chromatography stationary phase (underivatized BEH). The same amounts of protonated bases per unit volume of stationary phase were injected in each column (16, 47, and 141 μg/cm³). The performance of the propranolol/amitriptyline purification was assessed on the basis of the asymmetry of the recorded band profiles and on the selectivity factor achieved. The results show that the separation performed under reversed‐phase liquid chromatography like conditions (with BEH‐C₁₈, BEH‐C₁₈+, and polymer monolith materials) provide the largest selectivity factors due to the difference in the hydrophobic character of the two compounds. However, they also provide the most distorted overloaded band profiles due to a too small loading capacity. Remarkably, symmetric band profiles were observed with the hydrophilic interaction chromatography column. The larger loading capacity of the hydrophilic interaction chromatography column is due to the accumulation of the protonated bases into the diffuse water layer formed at the surface of the polar adsorbent. This work encourages purifying ionizable compounds on hydrophilic interaction chromatography columns rather than on reversed‐phase liquid chromatography columns.     

Characterization of a Cellulose Trisphenylcarbamate/1-Octyl-3-methylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate Mixture as GC Stationary Phase: Thermodynamic Parameters and LSER Methodology

A novel cellulose trisphenylcarbamate/1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [CTPC/[OcMIM]BF₄] gas chromatographic stationary phase was prepared and characterized utilizing thermodynamic parameters and LSER methodology. The results revealed that the interaction model of each probe molecule on the CTPC/[OcMIM]BF₄ stationary phase was invariable within the temperature range studied because of an excellent linear relationship between lnk and 1/T for each probe molecule. The chromatographic retentions of all probe molecules on the CTPC/[OcMIM]BF₄ stationary phase were enthalpy-driven processes. The main interaction forces of the stationary phase with probe molecules are hydrogen bonding interactions, dispersive interactions and dipole–dipole interactions. Moreover, the contribution of each interaction is in the order of hydrogen bonding interaction > dispersive interaction > dipole–dipole interaction. The mixture of CTPC and [OcMIM]BF₄ used as capillary gas chromatography stationary phase had high column efficiency and good film-forming ability, which was suitable for the separation of both nonpolar and polar compounds. Particularly the separation efficiencies of aromatic amines on CTPC/[OcMIM]BF₄ are superior to those on the commercial SE-54 column.

     

Characterization of a Cellulose Trisphenylcarbamate/1-Octyl-3-methylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate Mixture as GC Stationary Phase: Thermodynamic Parameters and LSER Methodology

A novel cellulose trisphenylcarbamate/1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [CTPC/[OcMIM]BF₄] gas chromatographic stationary phase was prepared and characterized utilizing thermodynamic parameters and LSER methodology. The results revealed that the interaction model of each probe molecule on the CTPC/[OcMIM]BF₄ stationary phase was invariable within the temperature range studied because of an excellent linear relationship between lnk and 1/T for each probe molecule. The chromatographic retentions of all probe molecules on the CTPC/[OcMIM]BF₄ stationary phase were enthalpy-driven processes. The main interaction forces of the stationary phase with probe molecules are hydrogen bonding interactions, dispersive interactions and dipole–dipole interactions. Moreover, the contribution of each interaction is in the order of hydrogen bonding interaction > dispersive interaction > dipole–dipole interaction. The mixture of CTPC and [OcMIM]BF₄ used as capillary gas chromatography stationary phase had high column efficiency and good film-forming ability, which was suitable for the separation of both nonpolar and polar compounds. Particularly the separation efficiencies of aromatic amines on CTPC/[OcMIM]BF₄ are superior to those on the commercial SE-54 column.     

Temperature-responsive chromatography for the separation of biomolecules

Temperature-responsive chromatography for the separation of biomolecules utilizing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and its copolymer-modified stationary phase is performed with an aqueous mobile phase without using organic solvent. The surface properties and function of the stationary phase are controlled by external temperature changes without changing the mobile-phase composition. This analytical system is based on nonspecific adsorption by the reversible transition of a hydrophilic-hydrophobic PNIPAAm-grafted surface. The driving force for retention is hydrophobic interaction between the solute molecules and the hydrophobized polymer chains on the stationary phase surface. The separation of the biomolecules, such as nucleotides and proteins was achieved by a dual temperature- and pH-responsive chromatography system. The electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions could be modulated simultaneously with the temperature in an aqueous mobile phase, thus the separation system would have potential applications in the separation of biomolecules. Additionally, chromatographic matrices prepared by a surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) exhibit a strong interaction with analytes, because the polymerization procedure forms a densely packed polymer, called a polymer brush, on the surfaces. The copolymer brush grafted surfaces prepared by ATRP was an effective tool for separating basic biomolecules by modulating the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Applications of thermally responsive columns for the separations of biomolecules are reviewed here.     

Separation behavior of basic compounds on unbonded silicon oxynitride and silica high‐performance liquid chromatography stationary phases with reversed‐phase eluents

Unbonded silicon oxynitride and silica high‐performance liquid chromatography stationary phases have been evaluated and compared for the separation of basic compounds of differing molecular weight, pK_a, and log D using aqueous/organic mobile phases. The influences of percentage of organic modifier, buffer pH, and concentration in the mobile phase on base retention were investigated on unbonded silicon oxynitride and silica phases. The results confirmed that unbonded silicon oxynitride and silica phases demonstrated excellent separation performance for model basic compounds and both the unbonded phases examined possessed a hydrophobic/adsorption and ion‐exchange character. The silicon oxynitride stationary phase exhibited high hydrophilicity compared with silica with a reversed‐phase mobile phase. An ion‐exclusion‐type mechanism becomes predominant for the separation of three aimed bases on the silicon oxynitride column at pH 2.8. Different from silicon oxynitride stationary phase, no obvious change for the retention time of three model bases on silica stationary phase at pH 2.8 can be observed.     

“Sock-Ball” Chromatographic Separation of High Molecular Weight Fullerenes with Sock-Shaped Stationary Phase

A method for “Sock-Bail” chromatographic separation of high molecular weight fullerenes is described. A prepared sock-shaped stationary phase (Sock-SAF-phase) was used for HPLC separation of several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and fullerenes. Fullerenes, as ball-shaped molecules, are much more strongly retained than PAHs on this stationary phase and have the eluted order C₅₀ < C₇₀ < C₇₆ < C₇₈ < C₈₄ in the mobile phase of n-hexane/dichloromethane (100/0 ～ 80/20). In contrast, chromatography on the corresponding unmodified silica phase or SC-3OH-phase (an intermediate phase of Sock-SAF-phase) gave no separation of fullerenes. This fact indicated that the separation of fullerenes on Sock-SAF-phase was related to the selective interaction with the sock moiety.     

Excess Adsorption of Organic Eluent Components from Mobile Phases Containing Electrolytes

The excess adsorption isotherms of organic eluent components from solutions containing electrolytes on a C18-bonded stationary phase are investigated by frontal analysis in staircase mode. The excess adsorption of acetonitrile increases when NaHSO₄, NaH₂PO₄, NaCl, or NaOAc is added to the eluent, but decreases upon addition of NaBr or NaClO₄. The excess adsorption of acetonitrile increases in the order of NaCl, NaHSO₄, NaH₂PO₄?>?NaOAc?>?NaBr, NaClO₄. On the other hand, the effect of electrolyte addition on the excess adsorption of methanol is not significant. The effect of electrolytes on the retention of alkylbenzenes in reversed-phase liquid chromatography is discussed on the basis of the excess adsorption of organic eluent components. The retention of alkylbenzenes shows negative correlation with the excess adsorption of acetonitrile. This indicates that the acetonitrile layer on the stationary phase does not act as a part of the stationary phase. A developed acetonitrile layer reduces the retention of alkylbenzenes by the competitive adsorption at the interface between the organic layer and the stationary phase.     

C18-磺酸基双改性液相色谱固定相的制备与评价

以十八烷基三氯硅烷和3-巯丙基三甲氧基硅烷为改性剂,采用一锅法对硅胶表面加以修饰,进一步将巯基氧化制备成C18-磺酸基双改性液相色谱固定相.在优化的反应条件下得到了十八烷基和磺酸基摩尔比为3∶7的固定相,分别采用扫描电镜、元素分析、红外光谱对固定相的形貌和特征加以表征.针对制备的固定相,在不同的分离模式下,系统考察其色谱分离性能.在反相色谱模式下,成功分离了5种烷基苯化合物;在亲水模式下,分离了3种核苷;进一步应用于牛血清白蛋白酶解产物的分离,得到了较好的结果.实验结果表明,制备的混合模式固定相同时具有多种分离机理,在分离复杂样品、调整选择性方面具有潜在的优势.     

Tetrazole-Functionalized Silica for Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography of Polar Solutes

In this work, tetrazole-functionalized stationary phase was prepared with nitrile-modified silica by an ammonium-catalyzed (3 + 2) azide-nitrile cycloaddition reaction. The prepared stationary phase was used for separation of nucleobases and nucleosides by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) mode. A typical HILIC mechanism was observed at higher content of acetonitrile (>85%, v/v) in the mobile phase. The retention mechanism of the column was investigated by the models used for describing partitioning and surface adsorption through adjustment ratio of water in the mobile phase, and by the influence of salt concentration, buffer pH, and temperature on the retention of solutes. The results illustrated that the surface adsorption through hydrogen bonding dominated the retention behavior of nucleobases/nucleosides under HILIC mode. From the separation ability, the tetrazole-functionalized stationary phase could become a valuable alternative for the separation of the compounds concerned.     

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.     

Preparation and ion chromatographic properties of a new core-shell chromatographic support Al2O3/SiO2-10

A new stationary phase Al₂O₃/SiO₂-10 was prepared and characterized by XPS, XRD, SEM and surface analysis. The anion exchanger properties of this new stationary phase were investigated by the separation of inorganic anions in ion chromatography (IC). pH of the mobile phase, concentration and strength of the Lewis base of the elute, and the organic modifier of the mobile phase strongly affect the separation of inorganic anions, and anion exchange selectivities of the analyte on the new support are significantly different from quaternary ammonium styrene based anion exchangers. The result of separation of inorganic anions shows that the new stationary phase provides excellent column efficiency, well-defined chromatographic peaks and favorable retention times.     

共价有机骨架材料在分离科学中的研究进展

共价有机骨架(COFs)材料是一类由有机单体通过共价键连接而成的新型多功能结晶有机聚合物,具有比表面积大、热和化学稳定性好、结构和功能可控等优点,在气体存储、药物传递、传感和催化等方面有着广泛的应用。多样的结构和丰富的官能团也使COFs在分离科学中具有巨大的应用潜力。COFs及其复合材料作为吸附剂已被用于固相萃取、磁固相萃取、固相微萃取,以及气相色谱、高效液相色谱和毛细管电色谱的新型固定相。该文综述了近3年来COFs在分离科学中的最新进展,着重介绍了COFs在水介质、食品基质、生物样本等复杂基质中样品前处理和有机分子(包括手性和异构化合物)分离等方面的研究进展,为进一步研究COFs的应用提供参考。     

Stationary and mobile phases in hydrophilic interaction chromatography: a review

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is valuable alternative to reversed-phase liquid chromatography separations of polar, weakly acidic or basic samples. In principle, this separation mode can be characterized as normal-phase chromatography on polar columns in aqueous-organic mobile phases rich in organic solvents (usually acetonitrile). Highly organic HILIC mobile phases usually enhance ionization in the electrospray ion source of a mass spectrometer, in comparison to mobile phases with higher concentrations of water generally used in reversed-phase (RP) LC separations of polar or ionic compounds, which is another reason for increasing popularity of this technique. Various columns can be used in the HILIC mode for separations of peptides, proteins, oligosaccharides, drugs, metabolites and various natural compounds: bare silica gel, silica-based amino-, amido-, cyano-, carbamate-, diol-, polyol-, zwitterionic sulfobetaine, or poly(2-sulphoethyl aspartamide) and other polar stationary phases chemically bonded on silica gel support, but also ion exchangers or zwitterionic materials showing combined HILIC-ion interaction retention mechanism. Some stationary phases are designed to enhance the mixed-mode retention character. Many polar columns show some contributions of reversed phase (hydrophobic) separation mechanism, depending on the composition of the mobile phase, which can be tuned to suit specific separation problems. Because the separation selectivity in the HILIC mode is complementary to that in reversed-phase and other modes, combinations of the HILIC, RP and other systems are attractive for two-dimensional applications. This review deals with recent advances in the development of HILIC phase separation systems with special attention to the properties of stationary phases. The effects of the mobile phase, of sample structure and of temperature on separation are addressed, too.     

Poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-coated silica: A versatile,polar stationary phase for HPLC

Summary Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) is immobilized on both, small- and large-pore silicas by thermal treatment, γ-radiation, or peroxide initiated polymerization. The hydrolytic stability of such a highly polar stationary phase significantly exceeds that of a comparable phase prepared by the chemical reaction of silica with a pyrrolidone ethyl dimethylchlorosilane silanization reagent. The properties of the different PVP-silicas are evaluated by elemental analysis, spectroscopy, and chromatography. Columns of PVP-silica packings can be used in several modes: a) under normal-phase conditions as a polar bonded stationary phase, b) under reversed-phase conditions, for the separation of organic proton-donor and hydrogen-bonding compounds, c) for the aqueous size exclusion chromatography of proteins, and d) with salt gradients for the hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins. The minimum observable reduced plate-height of PVP-silica columns is about 3. Double-layer polymer coating experiments using PVP-silica covered with poly(methyloctadecylsiloxane) have been performed to study diffusion and shielding effects of different polymer layers in the stationary phase. Depending on separation conditions, one or the other polymer governs the retention process. A mixed selectivity was observed in a reversed phase mode with acidic eluents.     

Protein‐Assisted Synthesis of Double‐Shelled CaCO3 Microcapsules and Their Mineralization with Heavy Metal Ions

Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) is one of the most abundant and important biominerals in nature. Due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability and nontoxicity, CaCO₃ has been investigated extensively in recent years for various fundamental properties and technological applications. Inspired by basic wall structures of cells, we report a protein‐assisted approach to synthesize CaCO₃ into a double‐shelled structural configuration. Due to varying reactivities of outer and inner shells, the CaCO₃ microcapsules exhibit different sorption capacities and various resultant structures toward different kinds of heavy metal ions, analogical to biologically controlled mineralization (BCM) processes. Surprisingly, three mineralization modes resembling those found in BCM were found with these bacterium‐like “CaCO₃ cells”. Our investigation of the cytotoxicity (MTT assay protocol) also indicates that the CaCO₃ microcapsules have almost no cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells, and they might be useful for future application of detoxifying heavy metal ions after further study.     

Triticonazole enantiomers: Separation by supercritical fluid chromatography and the effect of the chromatographic conditions

Enantiomeric pairs of triticonazole have been successfully separated by supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with a tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamoyl) cellulose‐coated chiral stationary phase in this work. The effects of co‐solvent, dissolution solvent, flow rate, backpressure, and column temperature have been studied in detail with respect to retention, selectivity, and resolution of triticonazole. As indicated, the co‐solvents mostly affected the retention factors and resolution, due to the different molecular structure and polarity. In addition, the dissolution solvents, namely, chloromethanes and alcohols, have been also important for enantioseparation because of the different interaction with stationary phase. Higher flow rate and backpressure led to faster elution of the triticonazole molecules, and the change of column temperature showed slight effect on the resolution of triticonazole racemate. Moreover, a comparative separation experiment between supercritical fluid chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography revealed that chiral supercritical fluid chromatography gave the 3.5 times value of R_s/t_R2 than high performance liquid chromatography, which demonstrated that supercritical fluid chromatography had much higher separation efficiency.     

Thermal evidences of the interaction between plasticizers and Ca salts in cement

The interactions between an organic polymer with plasticizing activity and a model surface (CaCO₃), with a surface activity similar to the cement one, have been analysed by volumetric analysis and thermal analysis: TG/DTG and DSC. The synthesized polymer has a negative link site (carboxylate) that is able to interact with the substrate and a long ethylene oxide chain that contribute to the dispersing activity. The pattern of the adsorption isotherm suggests the occurring of a step like adsorption, initially characterised by a coil conformation of PEO chain followed by a more PEO strained, linear, conformation as the amount of polymer increases. The polymer adsorption appears to modify the crystalline phase and morphology of the CaCO₃ surface as the thermal analysis puts in evidence through the CaCO₃ decomposition temperature shifts. SEM analysis confirms the morphology changes induced by polymer adsorption.     

Effect of the self-assembly of collagen on crystallisation of calcium carbonate in aqueous solution

In order to investigate how the self-assembly of organic matrix influences crystallisation and growth of inorganic minerals, we selected collagen as the matrix and conducted three experiments of crystallisation of CaCO₃ in different reaction systems: H₂O system, as-assembled collagen fibrils system and self-assembling of collagen system. It is found that (i) the self-assembly process of organic matrix had a remarkable effect on the morphology of inorganic minerals: CaCO₃ crystals formed in the as-assembled collagen fibrils system were global clusters and those formed in the self-assembling of collagen system appeared as interlaced networks and (ii) the organic matrix decided the polymorph of crystals: CaCO₃ crystals were calcite in the H₂O system and appeared vaterite in the collagen system. From this study, we can conclude that the self-assembly of collagen fibrils greatly affect the crystallisation and growth of CaCO₃. Such results are significant in understanding the mechanism of biomineralisation in calcified tissues in general, and useful in the synthesis of biominerals.

(a)?CaCO₃ formed in the as-assembled collagen fibrils system. (b)?CaCO₃ formed in the self-assembling of collagen monomer system.The TEM images of samples obtained in the as-assembled collagen fibrils and self-assembling of collagen monomer system, were observed, respectively. The result shows that crystals CaCO₃ formed in the as-assembled collagen fibrils system were global clusters; crystals CaCO₃ formed in the self-assembling of collagen monomer system appeared interlaced networks.