Separation of Monovalent and Divalent Cations on a Pure Silica Gel Column with Dilute Oxalic Acid Containing 18-Crown-6 as Mobile Phase

Summary Pure silica gel (Pia Seed 5S-60-SIL) has been investigated as a cation-exchange stationary phase for ion chromatography of common monovalent and divalent cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺) with conductimetric detection; dilute oxalic acid (0.05 mm oxalic acid, pH 4.1, to 1 mm oxalic acid, pH 3.0) was used as mobile phase. The Pia Seed 5S-60-SIL silica gel acted as a cation-exchange stationary phase for these cations when 0.2 mm oxalic acid at pH 3.6 was used as the mobile phase. Excellent simultaneous separation and highly sensitive indirect conductimetric detection of these cations were achieved in 20 min on a 150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d. Pia Seed 5S-60-SIL silica gel column with 0.2 mm oxalic acid containing 4 mm 18-crown-6 (1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacycloctadecane), pH 3.7, as mobile phase (detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio, 3, injection volume, 20 L), were 0.15 m for Li⁺, 0.16 m for Na⁺, 0.21 m for NH₄⁺, 1.0 m for K⁺, 0.17 m for Mg²⁺, and 0.25 m for Ca²⁺). The proposed IC–CD method was successfully applied to the separation and detection of major cations (Na⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺) in rain and river water samples.     

Separation of common monovalent and divalent cations by ion chromatography on calcined silica gel cation-exchange stationary phases, with tyramine-oxalic acid-containing crown ether mobile phases and indirect photometric detection

Summary Pure silica gels (Pia Seed 5S-60-SIL) calcined at 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000°C for 5 h have been used as cation-exchange stationary phases in ion chromatography with indirect photometric detection for common monovalent and divalent cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺); 0.75mm tyramine (4-(2-aminoethyl)phenol)-0.25mm oxalic acid, pH 5.0, containing crown ethers (18-crown-6 (1,4,7,10,13,15-hexaoxacyclooctadecane) or 15-crown-5 (1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxacyclopentadecane)) was used as mobile phase. With increasing calcination temperature, the amounts of the crown ethers adsorbed on the calcined silica gel column increased and, consequently, the effect of the crown ethers as retention modifiers for these cations increased. Excellent simultaneous separation and highly sensitive detection of these cations at 275 nm were achieved in 17 min by use of a 150 mm×4.6 mm i.d. column packed with silica gel calcined at 1000°C and use of 0.75mm tyramine-0.25mm oxalic acid, pH 5.0, containing either 0.5mm 18-crown-6 or 5.0mm 15-crown-5 as mobile phase.     

Affinity capillary electrophoresis employed for determination of stability constants of antamanide complexes with univalent and divalent cations in methanol

Affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) and pressure‐assisted ACE were employed to study the noncovalent molecular interactions of antamanide (AA), cyclic decapeptide from the deadly poisonous fungus Amanita phalloides, with univalent (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and NH₄⁺) and divalent (Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺) cations in methanol. The strength of these interactions was quantified by the apparent stability constants of the appropriate AA‐cation complexes. The stability constants were calculated using the nonlinear regression analysis of the dependence of the effective electrophoretic mobility of AA on the concentration of the above ions in the BGE (methanolic solution of 20 mM chloroacetic acid, 10 mM Tris, pH_MeOH 7.8, containing 0–50 mM concentrations of the above ions added in the form of chlorides). Prior to stability constant calculation, the AA effective mobilities measured at actual temperature inside the capillary and at variable ionic strength of the BGEs were corrected to the values corresponding to the reference temperature of 25°C and to the constant ionic strength of 10 mM. From the above ions, sodium cation interacted with AA moderately strong with the stability constant 362 ± 16 L/mol. K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺ cations formed with AA weak complexes with stability constants in the range 37–31 L/mol decreasing in the order K⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺. No interactions were observed between AA and small Li⁺ and large NH₄⁺ cations.     

Portable,lightweight, low power,ion chromatographic system with open tubular capillary columns

Basic operation principles of a lightweight, low power, low cost, portable ion chromatograph utilizing open tubular ion chromatography in capillary columns coated with multi-layer polymeric stationary phases are demonstrated. A minimalistic configuration of a portable IC instrument was developed that does not require any chromatographic eluent delivery system, nor sample injection device as it uses gravity-based eluent flow and hydrodynamic sample injection adopted from capillary electrophoresis. As a detection device, an inexpensive commercially available capacitance sensor is used that has been shown to be a suitable substitute for contactless conductivity detection in capillary separation systems. The built-in temperature sensor allows for baseline drift correction typically encountered in conductivity/capacitance measurements without thermostating device. The whole instrument does not require any power supply for its operation, except the detection and data acquisition part that is provided by a USB port of a Netbook computer. It is extremely lightweight, its total weight including the Netbook computer is less than 2.5 kg and it can be continuously operated for more than 8 h. Several parameters of the instrument, such as detection cell design, eluent delivery systems and data treatment were optimized as well as the composition of eluent for non-suppressed ion chromatographic analysis of common inorganic cations (Na⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, transition metals). Low conductivity eluents based on weakly complexing organic acids such as tartaric, oxalic or pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acids were used with contactless capacitance detection for simultaneous separation of mono- and divalent cations. Separation of Na⁺ and NH₄⁺ cations was optimized by addition of 18-crown-6 to the eluent. The best separation of 6 metal cations commonly present in various environmental samples was accomplished in less than 30 min using a 1.75 mM pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid and 3 mM 18-crown-6 eluent with excellent repeatability (below 2%) and detection limits in the low micromolar range. The analysis of field samples is demonstrated; the concentrations of common inorganic cations in river water, mineral water and snow samples were determined.     

Simultaneous separation of common mono- and divalent cations on silica gels modified with aluminium and zirconium

The modification of silica gel with aluminium and zirconium can be used for the preparation of advanced silica-based cation-exchange stationary phases for use in ion chromatography with conductimetric detection (IC-CD) for cations. Silica gels modified with aluminium (Al-silica) and zirconium (Zr-silica) act as cation-exchangers under strongly acidic conditions. Highly sensitive indirect conductimetric detection and excellently simultaneous separation for common mono- and divalent cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺) can be achieved on the Al-silica and Zr-silica columns in IC-CD by using acidic eluents containing 15-crown-5 (1,3,7,10,13-pentaoxacyclopentadecane). The Al-silica and Zr-silica can also be applied successfully as cation-exchange stationary phases in ion-exclusion chromatography for the separation of various aliphatic and benzenecarboxylic acids.     

Use of zwitterionic micelles in the eluent II: a new approach to ion chromatographic analysis of inorganic cations in biological fluids with direct sample injection

A new ion chromatographic (IC) technique has been developed for the determination of inorganic cations in biological fluids with direct sample injection. This involved the use of a mixed zwitterionic-micelle/electrolyte solution as an eluent. The proteins in the sample became bound to the zwitterionic micelles in the eluent and were thus eliminated from the column. The cations were separated by cation exchange. This method is ideal for the on-line, simultaneous determination of common inorganic cations (Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺) in urine and serum samples. Such an application was demonstrated experimentally. Non-suppressed conductivity was used for analyte detection. The detection limits obtained using this IC system were 2.94, 5.22, 34.9, 32.6, and 56.7 μg/L for Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺, respectively.     

Affinity capillary electrophoresis and density functional theory study of noncovalent interactions of cyclic peptide [Gly6]‐antamanide with small cations

ACE and density functional theory were employed to study the noncovalent interactions of cyclic decapeptide glycine‐6‐antamanide ([Gly⁶]AA), synthetic derivative of native antamanide (AA) peptide from the deadly poisonous fungus Amanita phalloides , with small cations (Li⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, NH₄⁺, and Ca²⁺) in methanol. The strength of these interactions was quantified by the apparent stability constants of the appropriate complexes determined by ACE. The stability constants were calculated using the nonlinear regression analysis of the dependence of the effective electrophoretic mobility of [Gly⁶]AA on the concentration of the above ions in the BGE (methanolic solution of 20 mM chloroacetic acid, 10 mM Tris, pH_MeOH 7.8, containing 0–70 mM concentrations of the above ions added in the form of chlorides). Prior to stability constant calculation, the effective mobilities measured at actual temperature inside the capillary and at variable ionic strength of the BGEs were corrected to the values corresponding to the reference temperature of 25°C and to the constant ionic strength of 10 mM. From the above ions, Rb⁺ and Cs⁺ cations interacted weakly with [Gly⁶]AA but no interactions of [Gly⁶]AA with univalent Li⁺ and NH₄⁺ ions and divalent Ca²⁺ ion were observed. The apparent stability constants of [Gly⁶]AA‐Rb⁺ and [Gly⁶]AA‐Cs⁺ complexes were found to be equal to 13 ± 4 and 22 ± 3 L/mol, respectively. The structural characteristics of these complexes, such as position of the Rb⁺ and Cs⁺ ions in the cavity of the [Gly⁶]AA molecule and the interatomic distances within these complexes, were obtained by the density functional theory calculations.     

Interaction study of a lysozyme‐binding aptamer with mono‐ and divalent cations by ACE

Binding between an aptamer and its target is highly dependent on the conformation of the aptamer molecule, this latter seeming to be affected by a variety of cations. As only a few studies have reported on the interactions of monovalent or divalent cations with aptamers, we describe herein the use of ACE in its mobility shift format for investigating interactions between various monovalent (Na⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺) or divalent (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺) cations and a 30‐mer lysozyme‐binding aptamer. This study was performed in BGEs of different natures (phosphate and MOPS buffers) and ionic strengths. First, the effective charges of the aptamer in 30 mM ionic strength phosphate and MOPS (pH 7.0) were estimated to be 7.4 and 3.6, respectively. Then, corrections for ionic strength and counterion condensation effects were performed for all studies. The effective mobility shift was attributed not only to these effects, but also to a possible interaction with the buffer components (binary or ternary complexes) as well as possible conformational changes of the aptamer. Finally, apparent binding constants were calculated for divalent cations with mathematical linearization methods, and the influence of the nature of the BGE was evidenced.     

Capillary ion electrophoresis-capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection of inorganic cations in human saliva on a polyvinyl alcohol-coated capillary

Capillary ion electrophoresis–capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CIE-C4D) with a polyvinyl alcohol chemically coated capillary (PVA capillary) was used to analyze inorganic cations (Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺) commonly found in human saliva. The PVA capillary, which was made by our laboratory, minimized electro-osmotic flow in the wide pH range of the background electrolyte (BGE), and the PVA layer adsorbed to capillary wall did not affect the conductimetric background level. In this study, we determined an optimized BGE of 30 mM lactic acid/histidine plus 3 mM 18-crown-6 for the CIE-C4D system using the PVA capillary, which could simultaneously improve the separation of Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ from Na⁺ and that of K⁺ from NH₄⁺. This system obtained highly reproducible separation of cations in human saliva samples within 8 min at 20 kV without deprotonation. The quantifiability of cations in human saliva samples on the CIE-C4D system was demonstrated through identification by ion chromatography with satisfactory results.     

Effect of counterion condensation on the acid-base equilibrium of a pH-sensitive merocyanine dye covalently attached to polyelectrolytes

Effects of monovalent and divalent counterions on the acid-base equilibrium of a pH-sensitive merocyanine dye covalently attached to copolymers of acrylic acid and acrylamide with varying charge densities (0.28 < ξ < 2.8) were investigated. Added chloride salts of Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and NH⁺₄ (< 0.2 mM) had essentially no effect on pK observed (pK^obs) for the equilibrium. By contrast, the salts of Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺ caused a significant decrease in pK^obs for the copolymers with larger ξ. With smaller ξ, most likely when ξ < 0.5, no decrease in pK^obs was observed upon addition of the salts of divalent cations. A competitive effect of Ca²⁺ and Na²⁺ ions on pK^obs in the presence of an excess of Na⁺ ions implied that Ca²⁺ ions at very low concentrations were preferentially, and therefore exhaustively, condensed on the polyanions with sufficiently large ξ probably until effective charge density was lowered to 0.5. The observed difference in the influence of the monovalent and divalent cations on pK^obs was discussed in terms of the difference in the microscopic behavior of the condensed monovalent and divalent cations. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation of a hybrid monolithic stationary phase with allylsulfonate for the rapid and simultaneous separation of cations in capillary ion chromatography

A hybrid monolithic column with sulfonate functionality was successfully prepared for the simultaneous separation of common inorganic cations in ion‐exchange chromatographic mode through a simple and easy single‐step preparation method. The strong cation‐exchange moieties were provided directly from allylsulfonate, which worked as an organic monomer in the single‐step reaction. Inorganic cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺, Cs⁺, Rb⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Sr²⁺) were separated satisfactorily by using CuSO₄ as the eluent with indirect UV detection. The allysulfonate hybrid monolith showed a better performance in terms of speed and pressure drop than the capillary packed column. The number of theoretical plates achieved was 19 017 plates/m (in the case of NH₄⁺ as the analyte). The relative standard deviations (n = 6) of both retention time and peak height were less than 1.96% for all the analyte cations. The allysulfonate hybrid monolithic column was successfully applied for the rapid and simultaneous separation of inorganic cations in groundwater and the effluent of onsite domestic wastewater treatment system.     

Ester and Ketone Groups Substituted Mono- and Di- Azo-coupled Azocalix[4]arenes as Extractant for Hg+ and Hg2+, or Cr3+Cations

This article describes extraction properties of mono- (A1–A8) and di- (B1–B8) substituted azocalix[4]arene analogues. The ionophore solvent extractions of alkaline-earth (Sr²⁺), basic metal (Pb²⁺) and transition metal cations (Ag⁺, Hg⁺, Hg²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cr³⁺) from aqueous phase to organic phase were carried out by azocalix[4]arene derivatives. It has been observed that they show a good extraction behavior toward selected heavy metal (Hg) and toxic metal (Cr), while A4 and B4 prefer Hg⁺, Hg²⁺ and Cr³⁺ among transition metal cations, respectively. The azocalix[4]arenes (A1–A8) and (B1–B8) are not efficient extractants for all of the selected metal cations, whereas A4 and B4 are selective only for Hg metal cation.     

Synthesis and complexing properties of four imidazolyl acetamido p-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes

Four imidazolyl acetamido p-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes 5–8 have been prepared by reacting the corresponding methyl esters derivatives 1–4 with histamine in 1:1 mixture of methanol:toluene. The yields ranged from 56 to 68%. 5–8 have been shown to be in cone conformation. The complexation behaviour of 5–8 towards monovalent metal picrates M⁺Pic⁻ with M⁺ = Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺ and Cs⁺ and divalent metal picrates M²⁺(Pic⁻)₂ with M²⁺ = Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Co²⁺ are given. Tentative localisation of the metal cations in the receptors is given. The binding properties towards these cations have been determined along with stoichiometries of the complexes.     

Monolithic ODS-silica gel column for determination of hydrogen, sodium, ammonium and potassium in acid rain by lon chromatography

Summary A monolithic ODS-silica gel column modified by saturating it with lithium dodecylsulfate (Li-DS) was firstly used to separate monovalent cations simultaneously including H⁺, Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺ and K⁺ by ion-chromatography (IC). Using an acidified 60 mM LiCl solution (pH 3.95, containing 0.10 mM Li-DS) as eluent, these monovalent cations were separated well in the order of Na⁺<NH₄ ⁺<K⁺<H⁺ within 3 min at a flow rate of 2.0 mL min⁻¹. The detection limits of these cations by this method with conductivity detection were 20.0 μM for Na⁺, 12.0 μM for NH₄ ⁺, 9.84 μM for K⁺ and 6.20 μM for H⁺. Acid rain water samples with a pH value less than 5.00 could be analyzed directly with this IC system.     

On‐site sampling of inorganic contamination on the metal surface and analysis with capillary electrophoresis

Pipes are the primary structural elements used for transporting fluid in various industries. The most common damage mechanism is corrosion, which occurs in pipes surface of turbine. The corrosive compounds for pipes are inorganic ion (Na⁺, Cl^?, NH₄⁺, NO₃^?, etc.) and grinding oil. For rapid and quantitative detection of inorganic ions on site, more reliable and reproducible analytical methods are demanded. A highly efficient solid–liquid sampling collection system is introduced in this work. Papering on the sample surface, inorganic cations and anions were simultaneously collected and analyzed by capillary electrophoresis with indirect ultraviolet detection. As a result, five cations (Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) and three anions (Cl^?, NO₃^?, SO₄^2?) were completely separated. The efficiency of the sampling and ability of capillary electrophoresis analysis were presented by the determination of trace‐level (mg/m²) contaminants. The recoveries of cations and anions on the paper from metal surface were between 86.6 and 107.2%, and the relative standard deviations were less than 12.85%.     

Peak parking technique for the simultaneous determination of anions and cations

An ion chromatography method is described for the simultaneous determination of anions (Cl^–, NO₃^–, and SO₄^2–) and cations (Na⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺) using a single pump, a single eluent and a single detector. An anion-exchange column modified with chondroitin sulfate C facilitated the elution of the above three anions using 5 mM tartaric acid as the eluent in isocratic mode, whereas the same eluent facilitated the separation of the above five cations on a commercially-available cation-exchange column. The separation columns were connected in series via two six-port switching valves, so the required cation-exchange or anion-exchange separation could be carried out by selecting the appropriate positions for the switching valves. The separations were completed in 30 min.     

Adsorption of trace elements or radionuclides on hydrous iron oxides

Factors that influence the adsorption of trace elements or radionuclides on hydrous iron oxides were investigated. The adsorption of monovalent cations (Cs⁺, Rb⁺) on hydrous iron oxides is not strongly pH-dependent and it can be regarded as nonspecific. On the other hand, the adsorption of Ag⁺, divalent cations (Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Mn²⁺, Sr²⁺) or trivalent cations (Cr³⁺, La³⁺, Ce³⁺, Eu³⁺, Gd³⁺, Er³⁺, Yb³⁺) is strongly pH-dependent. The regularities of the adsorption of these cations on hydrous iron oxides are discussed. Also, the differences in the adsorption behaviour of some divalent and trivalent cations are explained. Freshly precipitated iron(III) hydroxide can be used for the decontamination of radionuclides from low-level waste solutions. However, the efficacy of decontamination depends on the oxidation state and the chemical properties of radionuclides.     

Aminopyridyl derivative of thiacalix[4]arene-carboxylic acid as ionizable highly selective Ag+ ionophore

A novel mono-ionizable receptor 2 possessing three aminopyridyl and one carboxylic group in 1,3-alternate conformation based on thiacalix[4]arene, confirmed by single crystal X-ray analysis, was prepared. For competitive solvent extraction of alkali metal (Na⁺, K⁺ and Cs⁺) and some transition metal (Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, TI⁺, Ag⁺) cations from aqueous solutions into chloroform, it was found that the introduction of proton-ionizable group (carboxylic acid moiety) into the aminopyridyl-thiacalix[4]arene derivative could further improve its Ag⁺ extractability with high selectivity.     

Use of Ionic liquids as additives in ion exchange chromatography for the analysis of cations

The behavior of acids (citric acid, nitric acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid) as a mobile phase and imidazolium ionic liquids (the bromides, tetrafluoroborates and hexafluorophosphates of 1‐ethyl, 1‐butyl, and 1‐hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium) as additives in ion exchange chromatography for cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) separation were studied. The results showed that nitric acid and 1‐hexyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium hexafluorophosphate offered the most interesting features in the separation of cations, such as lower retention time and better resolution. The selected optimal conditions were achieved by adding 0.10 mM 1‐hexyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium hexafluorophosphate in 4.0 mM HNO₃ mobile phase for the separation of four cations with the flow rate of 0.9 mL/min at room temperature (25°C). The linear regression equations of Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ were S  = 4.4763c  + 0.0209, S  = 3.8903c  – 0.0087, S  = 6.3974c  – 0.0173, and S  = 7.601c  – 0.0339 and the limits of detection of Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ were 0.296, 4.98, 0.0970, and 1.22 μg/L, respectively. In this work, four cations in samples were successfully detected.     

Metal ion complexation in acetonitrile by di-ionized calix[4]arenes bearing two dansyl fluorophores

The influence of metal cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, Ag⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Fe²⁺, Hg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Fe³⁺) on the spectroscopic properties of two dansyl (1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonyl) groups linked to the lower rims of a series of three, structurally related, di-ionized calix[4]arenes was investigated by means of absorption and emission spectrophotometry. Di(tetramethylammonium) salts of the di-ionized ligands, (TMA)₂L1, (TMA)₂L2 and (TMA)₂L3, which differ in having zero, two and four tert-butyl groups, respectively, on the upper rim of the calix[4]arene scaffold were utilized for the spectrofluorimetric titration experiments in acetonitrile. On complexation by alkaline earth metal cations, both the absorption and emission spectra undergo marked red shifts and quenching of the dansyl fluorescence. These effects are weaker with alkali metal cations. Transition metal cations interact strongly with the ligands. In particular, Fe³⁺, Hg²⁺ and Pb²⁺ cause greater than 97% quenching of the dansyl fluorescence in the di-ionized ligands.