Hydrophilic interaction chromatography using amino and silica columns for the determination of polar pharmaceuticals and impurities

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is described as a useful alternative to reversed-phase chromatography for applications involving polar compounds. In the HILIC mode, an aqueous-organic mobile phase is used with a polar stationary phase to provide normal-phase retention behavior. Silica and amino columns with aqueous-acetonitrile mobile phases offer potential for use in the HILIC mode. An examination of the retention and separation of several pyrimidines, purines, and amides on silica and amino columns from three manufacturers revealed that mobile phases should contain a buffer or acid for pH control to achieve similar and reproducible results among columns from different sources. Amino columns may also be used in an anion-exchange mode, which provides an advantage for some applications. In some cases, silica can provide different selectivity and better separation than an amino column. Example applications include: low-molecular-mass organic acids and amides as impurities in non-polar drug substances, 5-fluorouracil in 5-fluorocytosine, guanine in acyclovir, and different selectivity for polar basic compounds compared to an ion-pairing system.     

A New Definition of the Stationary Phase Volume in Mixed-Mode Chromatographic Columns in Hydrophilic Liquid Chromatography

Polar columns used in the HILIC (Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography) systems take up water from the mixed aqueous–organic mobile phases in excess of the water concentration in the bulk mobile phase. The adsorbed water forms a diffuse layer, which becomes a part of the HILIC stationary phase and plays dominant role in the retention of polar compounds. It is difficult to fix the exact boundary between the diffuse stationary and the bulk mobile phase, hence determining the column hold-up volume is subject to errors. Adopting a convention that presumes that the volume of the adsorbed water can be understood as the column stationary phase volume enables unambiguous determination of the volumes of the stationary and of the mobile phases in the column, which is necessary for obtaining thermodynamically correct chromatographic data in HILIC systems. The volume of the aqueous stationary phase, Vex, can be determined experimentally by frontal analysis combined with Karl Fischer titration method, yielding isotherms of water adsorbed on polar columns, which allow direct prediction of the effects of the composition of aqueous–organic mobile phase on the retention in HILIC systems, and more accurate determination of phase volumes in columns and consistent retention data for any mobile phase composition. The n phase volume ratios of 18 columns calculated according to the new phase convention strongly depend on the type of the polar column. Zwitterionic and TSK gel amide and amine columns show especially strong water adsorption.     

Preparation and Evaluation of Poly-l-Lysine Stationary Phase for Hydrophilic Interaction/Reversed-Phase Mixed-Mode Chromatography

In this work, a poly-l-lysine-grafted stationary phase was synthesized by polymerization of N-carboxyanhydride of l-lysine initiated by 3-aminopropylated silica. The resulting material was characterized by FT-IR spectra, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis, which clearly indicated that the new phase had been prepared successfully. The retention of polar solutes depending on acetonitrile content in mobile phase exhibited ??U-shaped?? curves, which was an indication of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)/reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) mixed-mode retention behavior. The retention mechanisms in HILIC and RPLC modes also were investigated. Phenol compounds, aniline compounds and hydrophilic compounds were separated in RPLC or HILIC mode on the new stationary phase, respectively. This result shows that the new phase could be used for both RPLC and HILIC applications, providing greater flexibility for real sample analysis.     

Screening for cocrystallization tendency: the role of intermolecular interactions

Pharmaceutical cocrystals have rapidly emerged as a new class of API solids with great promise and advantages. Much work has been focused on exploring the crystal engineering and design strategies that facilitate formation of cocrystals of APIs and ligands/cocrystal formers. However, fewer attempts have been made to understand the equilibrium phase behavior and phase transition kinetics of the cocrystallizing solutions. This limited knowledge on the solution physical chemistry often leads to difficulty in screening for potential molecular pairs of API and ligand that form cocrystals effectively. In this study, the long-time self-diffusivities measured using pulsed gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance (PGSE NMR) are used to characterize the particle interactions in solutions for pharmaceutical cocrystallizing systems. For the pairs of API and ligand that produce cocrystals, the heteromeric attractions between API and ligand are found to be stronger than the homomeric attractions between API molecules and between ligand molecules, suggesting that an energetically favorable condition is induced for the formation of cocrystals. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of using the pair contribution of the self-diffusivity as a screening tool for cocrystal formation.     

Differential recognition of d and l-alanine by calix[4]arene amino derivative

Biomolecules that exist in two enantiomeric forms are generally characterized by their physiological action, e.g. l-alanine is a physiological active form of an essential amino acid. The recognition/separation of one of the enantiomers is an important task as they are used as food supplement or pharmacological products where essentially pure enantiomeric forms are required. Therefore, the quantitation of undesirable enantiomers in drug raw material is the challenging task for pharmacists and chemists. Present study demonstrates the differential recognition of l-alanine amino acid by 5,11,17,26-tetrakis-[(N,N-dimethylamino)methyl]-25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxy-calix[4]arene (3). Another characteristic feature of this study is the use of methyl orange as a UV–visible spectrophotometric probe for the determination of stability constant of host–guest inclusion complexes by adopting competitive inclusion method and 1:1 complexation ratio was confirmed by Benesi-Hildebrand equation. Thermodynamics of the recognition have been evaluated that provided the significant distinction for both isomers, i.e. d and l-alanine and it has been deduced that compound 3 may be employed in chromatographic columns for their separation. Thus, the study provides a broad spectrum of its applications in varying fields of analytical and pharmaceutical science.     

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with alcohol as a weak eluent

There has been a significant increase of interest in polar compound separation by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC), in which acetonitrile is mostly used as a weak eluent. Although replacing acetonitrile with alcohols as organic modifiers has been previously reported, the separation mechanism was poorly understood. In this paper we explored the separation mechanism through the method development for the analysis of the trace amounts of polar and basic hydrazines, which were genotoxic in nature. Separation parameters such as the type and concentration of alcohol, acid modifier, and buffer in mobile phase as well as the choice of stationary phase and column temperature were studied. The data indicated that both electrostatic and hydrophilic interactions contributed to the retention and separation of the hydrazines. The results presented here provide insight into the adjustment of the retention and separation of analytes in HILIC mode with alcohol as a weak eluent. The optimized HILIC method coupled with chemiluminescent nitrogen detection (CLND) is simple and sensitive (reporting limit at 0.02%) and was applied to simultaneous analysis of hydrazine and 1,1-dimethylhydrazine in a pharmaceutical intermediate.     

Simple and Rapid Determination of Denaturants in Alcohol Formulations by Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography

A hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) technique has been developed and validated for determination of common denaturants (denatonium benzoate, crystal violet and methylene blue) in denaturated alcohol formulations. Among the three different polar stationary phases (i.e., aminopropyl, cyanoethyl and silica) studied the cyanoethyl phase provided much stronger retention for the organic cations. It was shown that high efficiencies were reached only with anionic ion-pairing reagent that reduces the interactions with the silanol groups. The anion ion-pairing strength under HILIC conditions was: acetate < formate < trifluoroacetate < perchlorate. This study also investigated the effect of various experimental factors on the retention of the cyanoethyl stationary phase, such as acetonitrile content, pH and ion-pairing anion concentration in the mobile phase. The separation of three denaturants was achieved in about 8 min with a mobile phase containing 60% (v/v) acetonitrile and 10 mmol L⁻¹ HClO4. The proposed method was validated and applied to the determination of danaturating agents in various Lithuanian denaturated alcohol formulations.     

Study on the retention equation in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) is an effective technique for separating polar compounds. But its retention equation has not been studied systematically yet. In this study, an appropriate retention equation was established by using eight nucleosides as model analytes and by comparing four retention models on six different HILIC columns. As a result, retention equation Ink = a + b x InC(B) + cxC(B) could be quantitatively described the retention factors with good accuracy in HILIC mode. Based on this equation, the retention times of eight nucleosides under the conditions by other mobile phase can be predicted on each column. All of the predicted relative errors of retention times were smaller than 5%. The established retention model was also successfully applied to predict retention times of the real Traditional Chinese Medicine-Carthaus tinctorius L. sample.     

Chocolate HILIC phases: development and characterization of novel saccharide-based stationary phases by applying non-enzymatic browning (Maillard reaction) on amino-modified silica surfaces

Novel saccharide-based stationary phases were developed by applying non-enzymatic browning (Maillard Reaction) on aminopropyl silica material. During this process, the reducing sugars glucose, lactose, maltose, and cellobiose served as “ligand primers”. The reaction cascade using cellobiose resulted in an efficient chromatographic material which further served as our model Chocolate HILIC column. (Chocolate refers to the fact that these phases are brownish.) In this way, an amine backbone was introduced to facilitate convenient manipulation of selectivity by additional attractive or repulsive ionic solute–ligand interactions in addition to the typical HILIC retention mechanism. In total, six different test sets and five different mobile phase compositions were investigated, allowing a comprehensive evaluation of the new polar column. It became evident that, besides the so-called HILIC retention mechanism based on partition phenomena, additional adsorption mechanisms, including ionic interactions, take place. Thus, the new column is another example of a HILIC-type column characterized by mixed-modal retention increments. The glucose-modified materials exhibited the relative highest overall hydrophobicity of all grafted Chocolate HILIC columns which enabled retention of lipophilic analytes with high water content mobile phases.     

Imatinib mesylate cocrystals: synthesis, screening, and preliminary characterization

Abstract  

Drug–drug cocrystals of imatinib mesylate with several cocrystal formers, i.e. 5-chlorouracil, 5-fluorouracil, hydroxyurea, 5-fluorocytosine, N-acetylcytosine, chlorogenic acid, dacarbazine, curcumin, creatine, orotic acid, l-cysteine, glutathione, and caffeic acid, were prepared from mixtures by cogrinding or solvent cocrystallization. The samples prepared were analyzed by FTIR, DSC, and XRPD. Formation of cocrystals with different stoichiometry was observed. Novel cocrystals of imatinib mesylate with 5-fluorouracil or hydroxyurea were identified, characterized, and selected by the solid form screening approach. These cocrystals were non-hygroscopic and chemically and physically stable to thermal stress under the testing conditions.     

RP-LC Resolution of (R,S)-Atenolol via Diastereomerization with Marfey’s Reagent and Its Structural Variants Under Conventional and Microwave Heating

(R,S)-Atenolol was derivatized with Marfey’s reagent, (MR; 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl-5-l-alanine amide or FDNP-l-Ala-NH₂) and its four structural variants (FDNP-l-Phe-NH₂, FDNP-l-Val-NH₂, FDNP-l-Leu-NH₂ and FDNP-l-Pro-NH₂). MR reacts quantitatively with 1° and 2° amino groups and atenolol has a secondary amino group. The derivatization reactions were carried out under conventional and microwave heating and compared. The resulting diastereomers were separated on RP-TLC and on a C18 column with detection at 340 nm. (R)-Isomer eluted before (S). The conditions of derivatization and chromatographic separation were optimized. The method was validated for linearity, repeatability, limits of detection and limit of quantification.     

硅胶色谱柱的亲水作用保留机理及其影响因素

亲水作用色谱（HILIC）是替代反相色谱（RPLC）分离强极性及亲水性化合物的另一色谱模式,其分离机理与RPLC有很大不同,具有和RPLC互补的选择性。在HILIC模式中,采用正相色谱（NPLC）中的极性固定相及含高浓度有机溶剂（通常为乙腈）的水溶液为流动相。硅胶是开发最早、研究最为深入及应用最为广泛的HILIC固定相,本文介绍了硅胶色谱柱的HILIC保留机理,详细概述了操作条件如硅胶柱类型、流动相组成及柱温对HILIC分离的影响,并对硅胶填料色谱柱的HILIC模式的发展方向与应用前景进行了展望。     

A Novel Derivatization Method for Separation of Sarcosine from Isobaric l-Alanine in Human Urine by GC–MS

Sarcosine, an isomer of l-alanine, has been recently proposed as a potential biomarker for prostate cancer risk and aggressiveness, while some studies debated its importance. As both sarcosine and l-alanine are present in human urine, it is a great challenge to separate and accurately quantify these isobaric (i.e., same m/z) compounds by chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection. In this study, we developed a novel 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition derivatization method that resolves sarcosine from l-alanine and allows accurate quantification of sarcosine in human urine by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). This novel derivatization approach was specific to sarcosine only, while the common silylanization method resulted in overlapped derivates of both sarcosine and l-alanine. The derivatization conditions, including reagent amount, reaction temperature and time, were optimized. The method developed here has excellent precision (relative standard deviation <4.7 %, n = 5), good linearity (slope = 0.2408; r ² = 0.9996, 0.1–100 μg mL^?1), and a low limit of detection in human urine (0.15 ng mL^?1). Application of this analytical method to urine samples spiked with standard sarcosine indicates that it is a robust and powerful alternative for resolving and quantifying sarcosine from l-alanine isomer in human urine by GC–MS.     

High-efficiency hydrophilic interaction chromatography by coupling 25 cm × 4.6 mm ID × 5 μm silica columns and operation at 80 °C

Recently, hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) has emerged as a valuable orthogonal tool to reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) as it allows for resolution of highly polar ionisable compounds. The relationships between separation efficiency, column length and speed of analysis for 4.6 mm ID × 5 μm silica particle columns in HILIC are demonstrated using kinetic plots. The kinetic plots constructed for conventional pressure systems operating at 350 bar and at 30 °C and 80 °C are confirmed using experimental data for different column lengths. Efficiencies of more than 130,000 theoretical plates could be achieved by connecting up to six columns of 25 cm. As expected, a significant gain in analysis speed without loss of efficiency could be obtained by operating at 80 °C compared to 30 °C. The advantages of using long columns in HILIC in combination with elevated column temperature for the pharmaceutical industry are illustrated using test mixtures comprised of commercially available ionisable compounds (including some containing functional groups with potential genotoxic typical structural alerts) as well as real polar ionisable pharmaceuticals.     

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography in the separation of a moderately lipophilic drug from its highly polar metabolites--the cardioprotectant dexrazoxane as a model case

This paper presents a systematic study of the retention behavior of a model bisdioxopiperazine drug, dexrazoxane (DEX) and its three polar metabolites (two single open-ring intermediates-B and C and an EDTA-like active compound ADR-925) on different stationary phases intended for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). The main aim was to estimate advantages and limitations of HILIC in the simultaneous analysis of a moderately lipophilic parent drug and its highly polar metabolites, including positional isomers, under MS compatible conditions. The study involved two bare silica columns (Ascentic Express HILIC, Atlantis HILIC) and two stationary phases with distinct zwitterionic properties (Obelisc N and ZIC HILIC). The chromatographic conditions (mobile phase strength and pH, column temperature) were systematically modified to assess their impact on retention and separation of the studied compounds. It was found that the bare silica phases were unable to separate the positional isomers (intermediates B and C), whereas both columns with zwitterionic properties (Obelisc N and ZIC HILIC) were able to separate these structurally very similar compounds. However, only ZIC HILIC phase allowed appropriate separation of DEX and all its metabolites to a base line within a single run. A mobile phase composed of a mixture of ammonium formate (0.5 mM) and acetonitrile (25:75, v/v) was suggested as optimal for the simultaneous analysis of DEX and its metabolites on ZIC HILIC. Thereafter, HILIC-LC-MS analysis of DEX and all its metabolites was performed for the first time to obtain basic data about the applicability of the suggested chromatographic conditions. Hence, this study demonstrates that HILIC could be a viable solution for the challenging analysis of moderately polar parent drug along with its highly polar metabolites including the ability to separate structurally very similar compounds, such as positional isomers.     

Preparation of Organic-Silica Hybrid Monolith with Anion Exchange/Hydrophilic Interaction Mixed-Mode Via Epoxy–Amine Ring-Opening Polymerization Using Polyethylenimine as Functional Monomer

Polyethylenimine (PEI) and 2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-2,4,6,8-tetrakis(propyl glycidyl ether)cyclotetrasiloxane (POSS–epoxy) were used as precursors for the preparation of organic-silica hybrid monolithic columns (PEI–POSS monolith) via epoxy–amine ring-opening polymerization (ROP). The high density of amine groups in PEI provides rich chromatographic interaction sites for the polar or acidic analytes in hydrophilic interaction (HILIC) and weak anion exchange (WAX) mechanisms. The column preparation conditions, such as the porogens, solvent and reaction temperature, were systematically investigated according to the morphology, permeability and column efficiency. The separation mechanisms of HILIC and WAX were evaluated with neutral polar compounds and halogen benzoic acids. Owing to the existence of reactive amine groups on the matrix surface, the PEI–POSS monolith is also an ideal starting material for the preparation of HILIC or strong anionic exchange (SAX) stationary phases by modification. The modification of PEI–POSS monoliths with iodomethane or bromoacetic acid via the nucleophilic substitution reaction could achieve the retention mechanisms of SAX or zwitterionic HILIC, respectively.

     

Simultaneous Quantification of Gentamicin and Colistin Sulfate in Pharmaceuticals using Ion-Pairing and Polarity Gradient Chromatography with Low-UV Detection

For the first time, a simple and rapid method for simultaneous determination of gentamicin sulfate and colistin sulfate in two pharmaceutical formulations for children and adults by ion-pairing reverse phase chromatography and low-UV detection at 215 nm has been developed. This simultaneous analysis is thus a challenge due to the multicomponent mixture of high polar, non volatile and non UV absorbing chromophores. Rapid separation required less than 5 min on a Waters X-Terra^® C18 MS column (50 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 2.5 μm) with temperature maintained at 35 °C. A linear gradient from 15/85 to 40/60 acetonitrile/water (v/v) with constant hexafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) concentration of 0.05 % (v/v) was used as pairing reagent at 1.5 mL min⁻¹. In pharmaceutical analysis, the basic and polar compounds are separated by ion-pairing chromatography and the detection of analytes with weak chromophores requires working at low wavelengths. This application is an example of troubleshooting, i.e. baseline drift, due to gradient elution and absorbance of the ion-pairing agent. Baseline drift was minimized by optimizing the HFBA concentration gradient and its slope. Complete analytical validation was carried out according to the International Conference of Harmonization, and real samples were analyzed to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method for routine use.

     

Simultaneous Quantification of Gentamicin and Colistin Sulfate in Pharmaceuticals using Ion-Pairing and Polarity Gradient Chromatography with Low-UV Detection

For the first time, a simple and rapid method for simultaneous determination of gentamicin sulfate and colistin sulfate in two pharmaceutical formulations for children and adults by ion-pairing reverse phase chromatography and low-UV detection at 215 nm has been developed. This simultaneous analysis is thus a challenge due to the multicomponent mixture of high polar, non volatile and non UV absorbing chromophores. Rapid separation required less than 5 min on a Waters X-Terra^® C18 MS column (50 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 2.5 μm) with temperature maintained at 35 °C. A linear gradient from 15/85 to 40/60 acetonitrile/water (v/v) with constant hexafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) concentration of 0.05 % (v/v) was used as pairing reagent at 1.5 mL min^?1. In pharmaceutical analysis, the basic and polar compounds are separated by ion-pairing chromatography and the detection of analytes with weak chromophores requires working at low wavelengths. This application is an example of troubleshooting, i.e. baseline drift, due to gradient elution and absorbance of the ion-pairing agent. Baseline drift was minimized by optimizing the HFBA concentration gradient and its slope. Complete analytical validation was carried out according to the International Conference of Harmonization, and real samples were analyzed to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method for routine use.     

Retention mechanism assessment and method development for the analysis of iohexol and its related compounds in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has emerged in recent years as a valuable alternative to reversed-phase liquid chromatography in the analysis of polar compounds. Research in HILIC is divided into two directions: the assessment of the retention mechanism and retention behavior, and the development of HILIC methods. In this work, four polar neutral analytes (iohexol and its related compounds A, B, and C) were analyzed on two silica and two diol columns in HILIC mode with the aim to investigate thoroughly the retention mechanisms and retention behavior of polar neutral compounds on these four columns. The adsorption and partition contribution to the overall HILIC retention mechanism was investigated by fitting the retention data to linear (adsorption and partition) and nonlinear (mixed-retention and quadratic) theoretical models. On the other hand, the establishment of empirical second-order polynomial retention models on the basis of D-optimal design made possible the estimation of the simultaneous influence of several mobile-phase-related factors. Furthermore, these models were also used as the basis for the application of indirect modeling of the selectivity factor and a grid point search approach in order to achieve the optimal separation of analytes. After the optimization goals had been set, the grids were searched and the optimal conditions were identified. Finally, the optimized method was subjected to validation.

Orthogonal method development using hydrophilic interaction chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of pharmaceuticals and impurities

A hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) method has been developed and validated as a secondary or orthogonal method complementary to a reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) method for quantitation of a polar active pharmaceutical ingredient and its three degradation products. The HILIC method uses a diol column and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/water and ammonium chloride. The compounds of interest show significant differences in retention behaviors with the two very different chromatographic systems, which are desired in developing orthogonal methods. The HILIC method is validated and has met all validation acceptance criteria for the support of drug development activities.