Monolithic poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-divinylbenzene) capillary columns functionalized to strong anion exchangers for nucleotide and oligonucleotide separation

In the present work, poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-divinylbenzene) monoliths were synthesized and further derivatized to obtain strong anion exchange supports. Capillary monoliths (65 x 0.2 mm id) were prepared in situ by copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and divinylbenzene, employing 1-decanol and tetrahydrofuran as porogens. The free epoxy groups were derivatized in a two step synthesis to obtain quaternary ammonium functionalities. On testing the pressure stability of the synthesized monolith, a highly linear dependence between flow rate and pressure drop was obtained, indicating the high stability of the material even at high flow rates. The morphology of the copolymer was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Mercury intrusion porosimetry showed a narrow pore size distribution, having a maximum at 439 nm. On recording a van Deemter plot the number of theoretical plates per meter was found to be 59324. The produced strong anion exchange monoliths turned out to be highly suitable for the separation of nucleotides and oligonucleotides.