Single fiber-in-capillary annular column for gas chromatographic separation

A method for preparation of a stationary phase-adjustable column with in-column stationary phase-coated fused-silica fiber annular column was successfully developed. The surface of a 0.12 mm o.d. bare optical fiber was first coated with a stationary phase and then inserted into a fused-silica capillary (non-coated or coated) as an annular column for gas chromatographic study. The optical fiber and capillary were coated with polydimethylsiloxane (SE-30) and polyethylene glycol 20M (PEG-20M) as nonpolar and polar stationary phases, respectively. Among the investigated annular and open tubular columns, the PEG-20M-coated fiber-in-PEG-20M-coated capillary annular column showed the highest column efficiency with a minimum plate height of 0.35 mm and an optimum gas velocity of 25 cm/s. When a SE-30/PEG-20M-coated fiber-in-uncoated capillary annular column was applied to separate a 9-component complex mixture, the total analysis time was 5.3 min and the column length was 12 m. By contrast, when a SE-30-coated fiber-in-PEG-20M-coated capillary annular column was used to separate the same 9-component mixture, the analysis time was reduced to 3.5 min and the column length was shortened by half to 6 m. Our results show that the stationary phase-coated fiber-in-stationary phase-coated capillary annular column is a better choice for gas chromatographic separation as it is more efficient and flexible. In addition, the proposed annular column design provides flexibility in using two or even more types of stationary phases to achieve optimal analytical separation.     

Design and evaluation of a mixed-phase capillary column for the gas chromatographic separation of the volatile components of cheese

Summary A mixed-phase capillary GC column has been designed for the separation of the compounds commonly present in the volatile fraction of cheeses. The design includes the calculation of the optimum phase concentration and the operating conditions. The evaluation of the resulting column indicates that its performance in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of cheese volatile compounds is better than those of other columns coated with a single stationary phase.     

High-speed gel-permeation chromatography

To establish optimum operating conditions for high-speed gel-permeation chromatography (GPC), the effects of column packing particle size, solvent flow rate, and column length on the separation efficiency have been investigated by using monodisperse polystyrene samples and polystyrene gel columns (TSK-GEL column, Type-H). Decreasing the particle size of the column packing reduces the time required to obtain a given resolution. Monodisperse polystyrene standards were measured under the optimum operating conditions established (gel particle size 5 μ, column length 2 ft, flow rate 2.5 ml/min). The molecular weight distribution of a polymer mixture was determined in less than 10 min with the same accuracy as by the conventional GPC. Such short analysis time enables one to use GPC for in-plant quality control.     

Miniaturization of capillary electrochromatography using an ultrashort capillary column

The instrumentation for miniaturization of capillary electrochromatography was devised and an injection method for this apparatus was proposed. By using an ultra short capillary column (15 mm packed length, 36 mm total length, 75 microm inner diameter, packed with cation exchange supports), the separation of five biochemical compounds was performed within 1 min. The high separation efficiency of 9780 plates was achieved by using an ultrashort capillary column. The miniaturized instrumentation for capillary electrochromatography might be utilized as one of the possible methods in microfabricated analysis or in an alternative approach to it.     

牛血清蛋白对手性物质的毛细管电泳拆分

采用聚氧乙烯涂层毛细管柱，以牛血清蛋白(BSA)为手性添加剂，运用毛细管电泳电导检测对手性药物沙丁胺醇和多沙唑嗪以及DL-组氨酸、色氨酸、苏氨酸进行拆分。考察了涂层柱的稳定性和重现性。对影响手性分离的主要因素：缓冲溶液的浓度和酸度、BSA的浓度、有机溶剂的种类和浓度以及分离电压进行了系统的研究。结果表明：在选择的最佳实验条件下，各对映异构体在22min内得到基线分离。     

Optimization of capillary parameters for gas chromatography

An HETP equation for the capillary column is developed that takes into account the dependence of gaseous diffusion on pressure, the compressibility of the mobile phase, together with the unique relationship between mobile phase velocity, and the resistance to mass transfer in the stationary phase. The equation is used to develop a procedure for column optimization and expressions are derived that allow the optimum column radius and optimum column length to be calculated for a given fixed inlet pressure. It is shown that fast, simple separations are optimally achieved using relatively short small diameter columns. Conversely, optimum performance for the separation of complex mixtures requiring higher efficiencies requires the use of long columns with relatively large diameters.     

DNA sequencing with hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers at elevated column temperatures

Read length in DNA sequencing by capillary electrophoresis at elevated temperatures is shown to be greatly affected by the extent of hydrophobicity of the polymer separation matrix. At column temperatures of up to 80 degrees C, hydrophilic linear polyacrylamide (LPA) provides superior read length and separation speed compared to poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) and a 70:30 copolymer of N,N-dimethylacrylamide and N,N-diethylacrylamide (PDEA30). DNA-polymer and polymer intramolecular interactions are presumed to be a major cause of band broadening and the subsequent loss of separation efficiency with the more hydrophobic polymers at higher column temperatures. With LPA, these interactions were reduced, and a read length of 1000 bases at an optimum temperature of 70 degrees -75 degrees C was achieved in less than 59 min. By comparison, PDMA produced a read length of roughly 800 bases at 50 degrees C, which was close to the read length attained in LPA at the same temperature; however, the migration time was approximately 20% longer, mainly because of the higher polymer concentration required. At 60 degrees C, the maximum read length was 850 bases for PDMA, while at higher temperatures, read lengths for this polymer were substantially lower. With the copolymer DEA30, read length was 650 bases at the optimum temperature of 50 degrees C. Molecular masses of these polymers were determined by tandem gel permeation chromatography-multiangle laser light scattering method (GPC-MALLS). The results indicate that for long read, rapid DNA sequencing and analysis, hydrophilic polymers such as LPA provide the best overall performance.     

Longitudinal Miniaturization of Fiber-Packed Capillary Column in High Temperature Gas Chromatography

Miniaturization of fiber-packed capillary column in gas chromatography was studied. Packed with a bundle of polymer-coated filaments into a short metal capillary, longitudinal miniaturization was demonstrated without any significant disadvantages for practical retentivity and sample loading capacity. With a metal capillary of 0.3 mm i.d., the typical column length could be reduced to be several centimeters. The retentivity for alkanes on the fiber-packed capillary column was compared to that obtained by a conventional open-tubular capillary column of the same length. Taking advantage of the heat-resistant property of both the fiber and the metal capillary, the separation of a polystyrene mixture on the polymer-coated fiber-packed short metal capillary column with a temperature-programmed run up to 400 °C was successfully carried out. As the typical application, rapid GC separations were also carried out with the short column of 0.05 m length.     

Gas chromatographic separation of protein amino acids in four minutes

A method is presented for analysis of protein amino acids in five minutes, including derivatization. The chemical treatment involves reaction with ethyl chloroformate: if the composition of the reaction medium is optimum this reagent esterifies carboxylic groups simultaneously with derivatization of other reactive groups and the reaction is complete in seconds. The moderately polar silicone OV-1701 was found to be a convenient liquid phase for separation of the derivatives: a five meter capillary column of internal diameter suitable for routine use was able to separate the amino acids in four minutes. Derivatization of arginine was incomplete and it failed to elute from the column.     

Open tubular capillary column of 50 μm internal diameter with a very high separation efficiency for the separation of peptides in CEC and LC

A specially designed long open tubular capillary column (50 μm internal diameter and 112 cm effective length) was prepared by fabrication of a thin three‐component co‐polymer layer on the inner surface of silica capillary. A pretreated silica capillary was reacted with 4‐(chloromethyl)phenyl isocyanate in the presence of dibutyltin dichloride as catalyst followed by sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate. Then a thin polymer layer was made on the inner surface of capillary by reversible addition‐fragmentation transfer polymerization of styrene, N‐phenylacrylamide, and methacrylic acid. A carefully adjusted formulation of reaction mixture and elaborated procedures were adopted to secure formation of the co‐polymer layer of enhanced separation performance. The co‐polymer immobilized open tubular capillary column was used for the separation of a synthetic mixture of five peptides and excellent separation efficiency (over 1.7 million per column) was obtained in the capillary electrochromatography mode. Such excellent separation efficiencies of ca. 1 m column have not been obtained in the isocratic elution mode so far. The column was also used for separation of the peptides in the liquid chromatography mode to show very good separation efficiency (average 286 700 per column).     

藏药蕨麻多糖水解单糖的毛细管区带电泳分离研究

以1-萘基-3-甲基-5-吡唑啉酮(NMP)为柱前衍生试剂,探讨了毛细管区带电泳模式下对藏药蕨麻多糖水解液中单糖的分离条件。实验采用58.5 cm×50μm i.d.毛细管(有效长度50 cm),55 mmol/L硼酸盐缓冲溶液(pH=9.46),柱温20℃,分离电压22 kV,进样10 s。该法不加任何添加剂,9种单糖可高效、快速基线分离,实现了对藏药蕨麻多糖水解液中单糖的分离和定量分析,结果令人满意。     

Optimization of a hybrid chromatography-crystallization process for the separation of Tröger's base enantiomers

This paper presents an analysis of a hybrid process consisting of simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography and crystallization and studies its performance for the separation of the Tr?ger's base enantiomers. The SMB is simulated using a detailed model including column efficiency, thus, implying a proper evaluation of the effect of column size on column efficiency and separation performance. The crystallization operations are accounted for through material balances, assuming equilibrium between enantiopure crystals and mother liquor. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the combined process, using proper definitions of objective functions. Multi-objective optimization of this hybrid process for productivity and evaporation cost in terms of operating parameters, column length, and SMB feed concentration shows an optimum SMB purity value as a trade off between increased SMB performance and recycle of the mother liquor.     

Use of coupled open-tubular capillaries for in-line ion-exchange preconcentration of anions by capillary electrochromatography with elution by a transient isotachophoretic gradient

Open-tubular capillaries have been joined together for use in on-column ion-exchange preconcentration of anions by capillary electrochromatography (CEC) with elution by a transient isotachophoretic gradient. This involved the coupling of a preconcentration capillary and a separation capillary using a PTFE sleeve. Such coupling allowed precise lengths of differently coated capillaries to be joined in-line to form a single multi-mode column. The different segments could be tailored to optimize a separation by either altering the length of each segment to precisely manipulate the amount of stationary phase present or by changing the internal diameter of each segment to alter the phase ratio in the chromatographic column without affecting the path length for UV detection. In this work, a segmented in-line capillary was used in conjunction with a fluoride-octanesulfonate discontinuous electrolyte system to increase the number of anions that could be preconcentrated and separated. Quaternary ammonium functionalised latex particles were used for creating the preconcentration segment and the separation segment was coated with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride). This allowed the detection of trace anions in drinking water and in situ sampling of river water for the analysis of trace inorganic anions. The repeatability of producing the quaternary ammonium functionalized latex-coated segments was assessed and the effect of segmentation on peak efficiency was investigated.     

糖类衍生物在毛细管区带电泳下的分离研究

以新合成的1-萘基-3-甲基-5-吡唑啉酮(NMP)为柱前衍生试剂,采用毛细管区带电泳模式考察并优化了糖类衍生物的分离条件。实验采用58.5cm×50μmi.d.毛细管(有效柱长50cm),55mmol/L硼酸盐缓冲溶液(pH9.46),柱温20℃,分离电压22kV,进样10s,在不加任何添加剂的情况下,高效、快速地实现了9种糖的基线分离,并在最优化条件下进行了唐古特白刺实际样品的分离分析,结果令人满意。     

Capillary ion chromatography of inorganic anions on octadecyl silica monolith modified with an amphoteric surfactant

A reversed-phase monolithic silica based capillary column (Onyx C(18), 150 mm x 0.1 mm) was modified with the amphoteric surfactant, N-dodecyl-N,N-(dimethylammonio)undecanoate (DDMAU) and evaluated for the separation and determination of inorganic anions using on-column capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C(4)D). The chromatographic performance of the column was evaluated and under optimal conditions separation efficiencies of 56,200 plates per meter or 7025 plates per column (at detection point) were observed (for iodide). Direct plumbing of the capillary column to the micro-injector and on-column detection eliminated extra-column band broadening, thus allowing accurate analysis of van Deemter curves obtained for the monolithic capillary column. The calculated value for the C-term in the obtained van Deemter curve was between 3 and 4 ms for inorganic anions, allowing for the utilisation of relatively high flow rates without significant losses in efficiency. The performance of the C(4)D detector was investigated and compared for detection on an open tubular capillary column and on the modified monolithic silica capillary column. The on-column detection approach did not result in any significant decrease in peak sensitivity for the monolith compared to responses recorded for open tubular capillary columns, and in addition meant the system could be applied to rapid separations by simple variation in apparent column length. The proposed chromatographic system allowed for detection of common anions at sub-ppm level with a 10 nL injection volume. Additionally, on-column detection allowed visualisation of the development of the separation at any point in time and evaluation of the longitudinal uniformity of the ion-exchange coating.     

甲基丙烯酸酯毛细管整体柱分离微囊藻毒素的研究

以甲基丙烯酸丁酯为单体,乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂,在致孔剂存在的条件下原位聚合制备了甲基丙烯酸丁酯毛细管整体柱(150 μm i.d.)。实验中优化了用此整体柱分离3种微囊藻毒素(MC-LR,-YR和-RR)的色谱条件(流动相种类、缓冲溶液浓度、pH、流动相流速),建立了微囊藻毒素的整体柱毛细管液相色谱分离方法,该法可以在9 min之内实现3种微囊藻毒素的基线分离。将该方法应用于实际水样中微囊藻毒素的分析,成功实现了培养水样和巢湖水样中微囊藻毒素的快速分离,两种样品中均检测到MC-LR。结果表明,所制备的甲基丙烯酸酯毛细管整体柱具有良好的重现性、渗透性,在微囊藻毒素的常规检测中具有很好的应用前景。     

Effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes incorporation into benzyl methacrylate monolithic columns in capillary liquid chromatography

This work describes the preparation of polymer based monolithic materials and their use as stationary phases in capillary liquid chromatography. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were incorporated into a mixture containing benzyl methacrylate (BMA) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) as co-monomers. The optimized porogenic mixture was a ternary solution composed of cyclohexanol, 1,4-butandiol and butanol which resulted in a stable and homogeneous suspension. Six capillary columns with increasing amounts of MWCNT, from 0 to 0.4 mg mL(-1), were prepared by thermal polymerization in 0.32 mm (i.d.) and 150 mm length fused silica tubing. The chromatographic evaluation showed that the synthesized monolithic beds were mechanically stable while their porosity and permeability increased with the MWCNT content. The prepared capillary columns were tested for the separation of mixtures of ketones and phenols at an optimum flow rate of 2 μL min(-1). The results showed that incorporation of MWCNT slightly affected the retention while it enhanced the column efficiency by increasing the column efficiency by a factor of up to 9. This effect corresponded also to an improved resolution and full separation of the solutes.     

一种简单的毛细管色谱柱电加热装置的制作方法及其在液相色谱-质谱联用系统中的应用

为了实现蛋白质组的深度覆盖,特别是低丰度蛋白质的定性鉴定和定量分析,目前常用的方法是采用更长或装填更小粒径填料的毛细管色谱柱,但因此带来的问题是色谱柱反向柱压显著升高。针对以上问题发展了一种简单的毛细管色谱柱电加热装置制作方法,并将该装置安装于液相色谱-质谱联用系统,分别以牛血清白蛋白(BSA)酶切肽段混合物和酵母蛋白(yeast)酶切肽段混合物为样品,从柱压和柱效两方面对该装置的性能进行了评价。实验结果表明,所制作的毛细管柱电加热装置安装在装填粒径为3 μm反相色谱填料的毛细管柱上,在最佳电流(100 mA)下对BSA及yeast酶切肽段混合物进行分离时的柱压比不加电流时的柱压降低至少50%,柱效略有升高。这说明所制作的毛细管色谱柱电加热装置能显著降低柱压,为在较低的柱压条件下选择更小粒径色谱颗粒填料的毛细管色谱柱提供了一种有效的方法。     

Fast method development of rooibos tea phenolics using a variable column length strategy

The development of a method for the separation of standard compounds of the 15 main phenolics found in rooibos tea is presented. The separation of these compounds in a single HPLC analysis is particularly challenging due to the similarity of rooibos phenolics. As a result, multiple methods are often required to analyze all major phenolics in rooibos tea samples. The method development process is significantly enhanced in this study by using the recently introduced automated column coupler in combination with the variable column length strategy. This strategy consists of performing the initial scouting runs, wherein the best separation conditions are determined, on a short column and subsequently fine-tuning the separation on longer columns to benefit from their higher separation performance. It is demonstrated that the method development process can further be expedited by operating each column length at the maximum pressure, in this case 1000 bar. Although this holds in general, it is even more the case for the presently considered sample, since the selectivity of the sample is more pressure- than temperature-dependent. Applying the optimized method to unfermented and fermented aqueous rooibos tea extracts in combination with Q-TOF mass spectrometry, some 30 phenolic compounds are tentatively identified.     

Time optimization for routine separations,using high-speed microbore HPLC

Summary Algorithms for the time optimization of an HPLC separation are presented. Resolution, column performance, extra-column variance, capacity factor, and column length are incorporated into these algorithms. Extracolumn variance for a high-speed microbore system (1 mm i. d. column) was assessed using 2nd moment variance and a non-linear extrapolation of tubing length to zero. Extra-column variance, as a function of flowrate, was incorporated into the reduced operating curve of column performance. The use of empirical correction factors for column reproducibility and homogeneity are suggested. Cutting to an optimum length did not degrade column performance. These algorithms were applied to the optimization of a microbore assay for theophylline, in a simple xanthine mixture. Resulting total analysis times were reduced to 10seconds per sample, at a flowrate of 700l/min.