Residual silanols at reversed-phase silica in HPLC--a contribution for a better understanding

As porous silica gel is the most common adsorbent and support for bonded stationary phase synthesis, residual silanol groups are a recurring problem in the field of liquid chromatography and other separation techniques. Residual silanols most often have a negative effect on the separation process by causing peak tailing. Therefore, there was an attempt to remove residual silanols during stationary-bonded phase synthesis. The type and surface concentration of residual silanols were measured using different instrumental techniques such as NMR and infrared spectroscopy, calorimetry, and various chromatographic methods. Residual silanols exhibit acidic characteristic and they can ionize depending on the environment. Thus, they posses cation-exchange properties and cause the zeta potential of silica particle in liquid environment. Presented review discusses the influence of the residual silanol groups on the solvation process and retention of polar compounds. The novel methodology of residual silanols determination is presented as well as the influence of the silanols on the zeta potential of the stationary-bonded phases in chromatographic conditions.     

Stationary phases with special structural properties for high-throughput separation techniques: preparation, characterization and applications

Stationary phases with specific structural properties for high-throughput liquid chromatographic (LC) techniques are described. Special attention was paid to phases with special structural properties, mainly containing internal functional group (e.g. amide). Such materials are generally called "embedded phases". There are phases created in amidation process of aminopropylated silica gel, especially phases based on biological compounds, like phospholipids and cholesterol, which are called immobilized artificial membranes (IAM's). The synthesis and applications of polar embedded amide LC stationary phases were also reviewed. Methods of characterization of synthesized packing materials were presented, with general focusing on spectroscopic measurements like (13C and 29Si CP/MAS NMR and FT-IR), elemental and thermal analysis as well as chromatographic quantitative structure-retention relationships (QSRR) and extended chemometric tests. The potential applications of various dedicated stationary phases in a high-throughput LC screening procedures were also presented.     

Cyanobiphenyl-Mesogened Liquid Crystalline Polymer Bonded on Silica as the Stationary Phase with Shape and Polarity Recognition for LC

Cyanobiphenyl-mesogened liquid crystalline polymer is bonded on silica by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization and is used as the stationary phase for liquid chromatography. Various instrumental analyses such as elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were used for its characterization. The stationary phase exhibits multiple characteristics of low hydrophobicity, low hydrophobic selectivity, polarity recognition and shape selectivity in the separation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and polar neural aromatic compounds. Temperature and mobile phase composition were confirmed to have effects on the chromatographic behavior. Isomers of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and carotenes are well separated on the stationary phase.     

无固定相分离-电感耦合等离子体质谱法在环境中痕量金属纳米颗粒分析中的应用

环境中金属纳米颗粒的分析检测不仅需要关注其浓度和化学组成,还需要对其形状、粒径和表面电荷等进行表征.此外,环境中金属纳米颗粒的分析需要解决其低赋存浓度以及复杂基质干扰的难题.无固定相分离技术与电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)的在线联用,具有较强的颗粒分离能力和较低的元素检出限,能够快速准确地提供金属纳米颗粒的粒径分...     

3,5-二硝基苯甲酰基高效液相色谱键合硅胶固定相的制备与评价

以N-(β-氨乙基)-γ-氨丙基甲基二甲氧基硅烷为偶联剂,建立了一种制备3,5-二硝基苯甲酰基键合硅胶固定相(DNB)的新方法。采用元素分析、红外光谱和热分析表征了该固定相的结构。根据元素分析碳含量结果,计算出DNB表面配体浓度为2.08 μmol/m2。以芳烃(PAHs)、酚类、芳胺类、硝基苯酚异构体和磺胺类化合物作溶质探针,较系统地研究了该固定相的色谱性能。研究表明,所制备的固定相除了具有弱的疏水性外,还能与溶质发生电荷转移、静电、氢键和偶极-偶极等作用,从而提高对溶质的分离选择性。同时,由于间隔基对硅醇羟基的屏蔽作用,适用于含氮的碱性化合物的分离。     

Chemical structure evolution of acrylic-melamine thermoset upon photo-ageing

This article reports a study of the influence of UV light irradiation in the presence of oxygen on both the chemical structure evolution and mechanical properties of an acrylic-melamine (AM) thermoset. Photo-oxidation of the thermoset was investigated by several techniques, such as IR spectroscopy, DMA, headspace-SPME and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The measurements by infrared spectroscopy combined with gas analysis allowed us to elucidate details of the reaction mechanisms that are difficult to detect by only spectroscopic measurements. This approach was used to probe mechanistic aspects of the photo-oxidation of acrylic-melamine (AM) thermoset and was completed by dynamic-mechanical measurements combined with AFM and micro-hardness measurements, which revealed the effect of photo-oxidation on the mechanical properties of the thermoset.     

Identification and characterization of organic nanoparticles in food

Interest in nanoparticles (NPs) has increased explosively over the past two decades. Using NPs, high loadings of vitamins and health-benefit actives can be achieved in food, and stable flavors as well as natural food-coloring dispersions can be developed. Detection and characterization of NPs are essential in understanding the benefits as well as the potential risks of the application of such materials in food. While many such applications are described in the literature, methods for detection and characterization of such particles are lacking. Organic NPs suitable for application in food are lipid-, protein- or polysaccharide-based particles, and this review describes current analytical techniques that are used, or could be used, for identification and characterization of such particles in food products. We divide the analytical approaches into four sections: sample preparation; separation; imaging; and, characterization.We discuss techniques and reported applications for NPs or otherwise related particle compounds. The results of this investigation show that, for a successful characterization of NPs in food, at least some kind of sample preparation will be required. While a simple sample preparation may be satisfactory for imaging techniques for known analytes, for other techniques, a further separation using chromatography, field-flow fractionation or ion-mobility separation is necessary. Subsequently, photon-correlation spectroscopy and especially mass spectrometry techniques as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry, seem suitable techniques for characterizing a wide variety of organic NPs.     

Characterization of High‐Pressure Liquid Chromatography Columns using Chromatographic Methods

Abstract

A great variety of columns for liquid chromatography (LC) are available in dimensions ranging from industrial scale to micro‐bore, nano‐bore, and capillary size, and on‐chip columns. The columns may be used in various liquid chromatography modes or in capillary electrochromatography, depending on the support materials and stationary phase chemistry. Every year many new column types are introduced on the market, with improved selectivity and efficiency, long lifetime, and mobile phase compatibility, intended for general use, for liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) applications, proteomic research, or for the analysis of other specific sample types. Considerable improvement in pH, high‐temperature, and high‐pressure stability of new column types, together with advances in the instrumentation, enabled introduction of capillary, high‐temperature, and ultra‐high‐pressure HPLC into routine practice. Even though reversed‐phase mode is still by the most widely used in contemporary LC, applications of other separation modes (such as ion, normal‐phase, or high‐interaction liquid chromatography (HILC)) have become more frequent recently, because of unique separation selectivity for certain sample types.

Characterization of column quality is not a simple task, because a number of factors should be taken into account, that affect the selectivity, efficiency and resolution of sample separation and the reproducibility of chromatographic data. These include the type of the support, the arrangement and density of the stationary phase on the adsorbent surface, the homogeneity of the chromatographic bed, etc. Various physicochemical techniques are used for characterization of the properties of column packings however, most of them are suitable for bulk materials only and cannot be directly applied for commercial columns without damaging them. Not to destroy the columns, often precious and expensive, practicing chromatographers can apply chromatographic methods to characterize columns and evaluate their analytical suitability under real‐life conditions, where the intermolecular interactions between the analytes, the stationary phase, and the mobile phases affect the retention. The present review reports various chromatographic tests and strategies available for column evaluation.     

Progress of laser ionization mass spectrometry for elemental analysis — A review of the past decade

Mass spectrometry using a laser ionization source has played a significant role in elemental analysis. Three types of techniques are widely used: high irradiance laser ionization mass spectrometry is capable of rapid determination of elements in solids; single particle mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for single particle characterization; and resonance ionization mass spectrometry is applied for isotope ratio measurements with high sensitivity and selectivity. In this review, the main features of the laser ablation process and plasma characterization by mass spectrometry are summarized. Applications of these three techniques for elemental analysis are discussed.     

Solid-state NMR spectroscopic methods in chemistry

Over the last decades, NMR spectroscopy has grown into an indispensable tool for chemical analysis, structure determination, and the study of dynamics in organic, inorganic, and biological systems. It is commonly used for a wide range of applications from the characterization of synthetic products to the study of molecular structures of systems such as catalysts, polymers, and proteins. Although most NMR experiments are performed on liquid-state samples, solid-state NMR is rapidly emerging as a powerful method for the study of solid samples and materials. This Review outlines some of the developments of solid-state NMR spectroscopy, including techniques such as cross-polarization, magic-angle spinning, multiple-pulse sequences, homo- and heteronuclear decoupling and recoupling techniques, multiple-quantum spectroscopy, and dynamic angle spinning, as well as their applications to structure determination. Modern solid-state NMR spectroscopic techniques not only produce spectra with a resolution close to that of liquid-state spectra, but also capitalize on anisotropic interactions, which are often unavailable for liquid samples. With this background, the future of solid-state NMR spectroscopy in chemistry appears to be promising, indeed.     

Polymer characterization by combining liquid chromatography with MALDI and ESI mass spectrometry

High-performance polymers are complex mixtures of materials of different size and chemical composition and with different end groups and architecture. To determine the molecular heterogeneity of such systems, hyphenation of several techniques is required. The value of coupling mass spectrometry (MS) with separation techniques has already been recognized - such methods have proved to be among the most powerful for molecular characterization of complex polymer systems.The review focuses on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) MS coupled with liquid chromatography (LC). Such hyphenation has been used for most polymer analysis by mass spectrometry coupled with separation techniques. The advantages and/or limitations of these techniques for polymer characterization are discussed. Future prospects are briefly outlined.     

Environmental degradation of a novel ethylene-propylene copolymer in thick sheets

The outdoor ageing of a commercial ethylene-propylene copolymer (Adflex) is investigated. Different techniques (infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, mechanical tests and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy) are used in order to obtain a comprehensive view of the modifications occurring during the environmental ageing of thick sheets of this copolymer. The degradation of the material is ascribed to a morphology variation, arising from the separation of amorphous oxidised copolymers initially dispersed in the bulk of the material. Weathering process takes places with increase of the bulk density of the sample.     

Hyphenated techniques for the analysis of heparin and heparan sulfate

The elucidation of the structure of glycosaminoglycan has proven to be challenging for analytical chemists. Molecules of glycosaminoglycan have a high negative charge and are polydisperse and microheterogeneous, thus requiring the application of multiple analytical techniques and methods. Heparin and heparan sulfate are the most structurally complex of the glycosaminoglycans and are widely distributed in nature. They play critical roles in physiological and pathophysiological processes through their interaction with heparin-binding proteins. Moreover, heparin and low-molecular weight heparin are currently used as pharmaceutical drugs to control blood coagulation. In 2008, the health crisis resulting from the contamination of pharmaceutical heparin led to considerable attention regarding their analysis and structural characterization. Modern analytical techniques, including high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, played critical roles in this effort. A successful combination of separation and spectral techniques will clearly provide a critical advantage in the future analysis of heparin and heparan sulfate. This review focuses on recent efforts to develop hyphenated techniques for the analysis of heparin and heparan sulfate.     

Development of Optical Techniques for Chemical Engineering Applications

The design of separation processes for nuclear spend fuel treatment, dedicated to either R&D studies or industrial applications, is currently based on a phenomenological approach, relying on Computational Fluid Dynamics, and complemented by validation tests achieved at small-scale. Indeed, most of the steps of the PUREX^® process involve multiphasic flows (dissolution, leaching, liquid-liquid extraction, precipitation, filtration, etc.). Therefore an accurate knowledge of the dispersed phase properties is required in order to assess their coupling with the flow features, to predict the process performance and efficiency and to achieve size reduction or extrapolation.Hence, the measurements of particulate flows properties, and especially the particles (or drops or bubbles) size distribution, concentration (i.e. hold-up) and velocity has become a growing issue. Relevant techniques for measuring these flow properties are multiple, from the high-speed video acquisition coupled to image processing to the laser-induced fluorescence, including the particle imaging velocimetry or interferometric techniques (digital in-line holography, rainbow refractometry, etc.). In this communication, different techniques developed at CEA Marcoule for the characterization of multiphase flows, will be introduced. The strong interaction with computational fluid dynamics, in the scope of a multiscale approach, will be discussed through typical results of gas-liquid, liquid-liquid and solid-liquid flows possibly encountered in nuclear fuel reprocessing process.