Analysis of polar peptides using a silica hydride column and high aqueous content mobile phases

The retention behavior of a set of polar peptides separated on a silica hydride stationary phase was examined with a capillary HPLC system coupled to ESI‐MS detection. The mobile phases consisted of formic acid or acetic acid/acetonitrile/water mixtures with the acetonitrile content ranging from 5 to 80% v/v. The effects on peptide retention of these two acidic buffer additives and their concentrations in the mobile phase were systematically investigated. Strong retention of the peptides on the silica hydride phase was observed with relatively high‐organic low‐aqueous mobile phases (i.e. under aqueous normal‐phase conditions). However, when low concentrations of acetic acid were employed as the buffer additive, strong retention of the peptides was also observed even when high aqueous content mobile phases were employed. This unique feature of the stationary phase therefore provides an opportunity for chromatographic analysis of polar peptides with water‐rich eluents, a feature usually not feasible with traditional RP sorbents, and thus under conditions more compatible with analytical green chemistry criteria. In addition, both isocratic and gradient elution procedures can be employed to optimize peptide separations with excellent reproducibility and resolution under these high aqueous mobile phase conditions with this silica hydride stationary phase.     

Temperature effects on solute retention for hydride-based stationary phases

The effect of solute retention is investigated for two hydride-based stationary phases: bidentate C18 and cholesterol. Several small molecules and peptides are used as solutes. In the reversed-phase mode, most compounds have the expected temperature behavior, i.e. decreasing retention with increasing temperature. Two analogs of the drug lisinopril do exhibit the opposite behavior on the cholesterol column; increasing retention with increasing temperature. In the aqueous normal phase (ANP) mode, more compounds, particularly certain peptides, have this unusual retention behavior with respect to temperature. These preliminary studies indicate that as ANP retention becomes stronger, there is a greater possibility of observing increasing retention with increasing temperature.     

Simultaneous separation of hydrophobic and polar bases using a silica hydride stationary phase

In this study, the retention behavior of selected hydrophobic and polar bases on a minimally modified silica hydride phase was investigated. From these results and the associated retention plots, significant differences in the chromatographic dependencies of these two classes of basic compounds were evident. The polar bases exhibited strong retention with mobile phases of high organic solvent content, but displayed weak retention with mobile phases of high water content. In contrast, the hydrophobic bases showed “U‐shape” retention dependencies, indicative of the interplay of both RP and normal‐phase retention characteristics. These studies have demonstrated that hydrophobic and polar bases can be simultaneously separated on the same column either under typical RP‐like or aqueous normal‐phase‐like conditions, respectively, with distinctive selectivity. Finally, the effects of temperature on the RP and aqueous normal phase modality of separations with these analytes were investigated, where discrete changes in retention behavior were also observed.     

Correlation of the retention data of polyaromatic hydrocarbons obtained on various stationary phases used in normal- and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Summary The correlation between the retention data of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) obtained in normal-and reversed-phase liquid chromatography is investigated in order to determine the dominant factors controlling the retention. It is clear that the separation of PAHs on various chemically-bonded packing materials in normal- and/or reversed-phase modes is primarily controlled by the molecular structure and shape. The -electron interaction between the solute and the stationary phase also contributes to the retention, although pure silica shows a somewhat different behavior.     

Evaluation of the dual retention properties of stationary phases based on silica hydride: Perfluorinated bonded material

The synthesis of a new perfluorinated stationary phase based on silica hydride using a hydrosilation reaction was investigated. The material was characterized by elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and ¹³C cross‐polarization magic‐angle spinning NMR spectroscopy. The retention properties of this new material were tested in the reversed‐phase and normal‐phase mode. Variable buffer strength experiments at two pH conditions for selected polar compounds were used to compare the new phase to hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography retention. These results and previous data reported in the literature were used to postulate differences in the retention mechanism between hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and silica hydride‐based stationary phases.     

Synthesis and evaluation of silica hydride‐based fluorinated stationary phases

Two novel silica hydride‐based fluorinated bonded phases have been synthesized using a hydrosilation procedure to test combined fluorine and hydride selectivity. The bonded moieties were characterized by elemental and spectral analysis. Chromatographic testing was done using hydrophilic analytes in the aqueous normal phase mode. At higher amounts of the nonpolar solvent in the mobile phase, there should be increased retention for solutes such as acids, bases and other polar compounds, whereas nonpolar solutes can be retained when water is increased as in RP chromatography. The synergistic effects of the fluorinated phase selectivity and aqueous normal phase retention on a hydride surface have been explored for small polar molecules. The stability and repeatability of the hydride‐based fluorinated stationary phases were evaluated. The use of acetone as the organic component in the mobile phase was also tested.     

Study of the selectivity,retention mechanisms and performance of alternative silica-based stationary phases for separation of ionised solutes in hydrophilic interaction chromatography

The separation of a mixture of neutral, strongly acidic and strongly basic compounds was studied in hydrophilic interaction chromatography using a bare silica phase, and bonded silica phases with diol, zwitterionic, amide and hydrophilic/hydrophobic groups. The mobile phase was acetonitrile–ammonium formate buffer at low pH. Differences in selectivity between these various columns indicate that the stationary phase cannot function merely as an inert support for a water layer into which the solutes partition from the bulk mobile phase. Attempts to fit the retention data to equations which describe either partition or adsorption mechanisms were inconclusive. Ion exchange was a significant contributor to the retention of ionised bases on all columns studied. Van Deemter plots indicated that the efficiency as a function of flow rate varied between the columns, which might be attributable in part to the presence of either monomeric or polymeric bonded phase layers.     

Packings and stationary phases for biopolymer separations by HPLC

Summary Packings and stationary phases applied to high resolution separations of proteins, enzymes, and nucleic acids must satisfy a series of distinct criteria that are different from those usually required by HPLC of low molecular weight non-biologically active analytes. These requirements have been met through substantial improvements in classical gel media together with novel developments in silica supports, and have led to a family of products with tailor-made and reproducible properties. Supports consisting of cross-linked organic gels, and inorganic materials (mostly silicas) are now available with graduated particle sizes, pore sizes, porosities and surface areas as well as non-porous beads. A whole range of stationary phases, such as reversed phase, hydrophobic interaction, ion exchanger and affinity packings, were designed for application as chemical sensors for biopolymer recognition in adsorptive chromatography. The phase systems are operated in the gradient mode, giving high resolution and high peak capacities. In addition, aqueous liquid-liquid partitioning systems have been developed for the fractionation of proteins and nucleic acids. Size exclusion media complete the set of HPLC variants enabling a discrimination of proteins according to their size and shape in an isocratic elution mode. Basically, protein purification and isolation is a multistage process where-by the HPLC variants are combined in a logistic sequence, utilizing the different selectivities of the phase systems and thus maximising resolution, speed and throughput.     

Simultaneous separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic peptides with a silica hydride stationary phase using aqueous normal phase conditions

The application of a silica hydride modified stationary phase with low organic loading has been investigated as a new type of chromatographic material suitable for the separation and analysis of peptides with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection. Retention maps were established to delineate the chromatographic characteristics of a series of peptides with physical properties ranging from strongly hydrophobic to very hydrophilic and encompassing a broad range of pI values (pI 5.5-9.4). The effects of low concentrations of two additives (formic acid and acetic acid) in the mobile phase were also investigated with respect to their contribution to separation selectivity and retention under comparable conditions. Significantly, strong retention of both the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic peptides was observed when high-organic low-aqueous mobile phases were employed, thus providing a new avenue to achieve high resolution peptide separations. For example, simultaneous separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic peptides was achieved under aqueous normal phase (ANP) chromatographic conditions with linear gradient elution procedures in a single run, whilst further gradient optimization enabled improved peak efficiencies of the more strongly retained hydrophobic and hydrophilic peptides.     

Study of the selective retention of fluorinated compounds on perfluorinated stationary phases

Summary The basis of the selective retention of perfluorinated compounds on perfluorinated bonded phases is examined. It is shown that the selective retention increases dramatically by increasing chain length and strand multiplicity.     

Evaluation of protein, peptide, and amino acid retention on C5 hydride-based stationary phases

A pentyl (C5) stationary phase is synthesized on a hydride surface using both 100 and 300 A silica particles. The aqueous normal phase properties of these new phases are evaluated using amino acids at high concentrations of ACN in the mobile phase containing 0.1% formic acid. The RP properties of the materials are tested by using peptides and proteins in order to evaluate the effect of pore size on retention. Comparisons of retention as well as efficiencies and peak symmetry with a C18 phase are used to determine the influence of the hydrophobic properties of the bonded material. An evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) is used in all phases of the study and compared with UV detector for gradient elution of proteins.     

HPLC separation of opium alkaloids on porous and non-porous stationary phases

Summary A new reversed-phase (RP) HPLC method has been developed and validated for the separation of the main opium alkaloids morphine, codeine, thebaine, papaverine and noscapine on a non-porous (micropellicular) stationary phase. On this phase quantification of the compounds by internal standardization with brucine was achieved extremely rapidly, in ca 1.5 min, only. Thus, the analysis time for the opium alkaloids was approximately one tenth of that on porous stationary phases. Different opium samples were investigated using non-porous and porous packings. The correlation between the results was excellent. Presented at Balaton Symposium on High-Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 1–3, 1999     

Characterization of polymer monolithic stationary phases for capillary HPLC

Monolithic capillary columns have been prepared in fused‐silica capillaries by radical co‐polymerization of ethylene dimethacrylate and butyl methacrylate in the presence of porogen solvent mixtures containing various concentration ratios of 1‐propanol, 1,4‐butanediol, and water with azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator of the polymerization reaction. The through pores in organic polymer monolithic columns can be characterized by “equivalent permeability particle size”, and the mesopores with stagnant mobile phase by “equivalent dispersion particle size”. Increasing the concentration of propanol in the polymerization mixture diminishes the pore volume and size in the monolithic media and improves the column efficiency, at a cost of decreasing permeability. Organic polymer monolithic capillary columns show similar retention behaviour to packed alkyl silica columns for compounds with different polarities characterized by interaction indices, I_x, but have different methylene selectivities. Higher concentrations of propanol in the polymerization mixture increase the lipophilic character of the monolithic stationary phases. Best efficiencies and separation selectivities were found for monolithic columns prepared using 62–64% propanol in the porogen solvent mixture. To allow accurate characterization of the properties of capillary monolithic columns, the experimental data should be corrected for extra‐column contributions.     

Evaluation of novel dendrimer chiral stationary phases using HPLC

Summary The reversed phase chromatographic properties of the [G1]-L-glutamic and ethyl ester-AC-silica (1), [G2]-L-glutamic acid ethyl ester-AC-silica (2) and the [G1]-L-glutamic acidt-butyl ester-AC-silica (3) dendrimer stationary phases were evaluated. Initial studies involved the comparison between these phases with a classic reversed phase (i.e. ODS1) by the separation of a standard reversed phase test mixture composed of dimethylphthalate, nitrobenzene, anisole, diphenylamine and fluorene. Separations were achieved with comparable performance to those obtained with the conventional reversed phase (ODS1). However, it was apparent that the chromatographic selectivity exhibited by the dendrimer stationary phases was different from that of the ODS1 phase. On a per mole basis, the dendrimers exhibited similar (and sometimes greater) affinity for these analytes compared with the ODS1 ligand. Subsequent chromatographic experiments were conducted upon the dendrimer chiral stationary phases using chiral analytes under reversed phase and normal phase conditions. Chiral resolution was not observed.     

Prediction of HPLC retention times in gradient elution from isocratic data application to a set of non-homologous compounds and different stationary phases

Summary Polymethyloctylsiloxane-coated stationary phases have been prepared for liquid chromatography, by thermal reaction. The influence of the reaction conditions on retention and efficiency of test substances with different structures has been discussed. The materials have good stability in both acidic and basic eluents.     

Cholesteric bonded stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography: a comparative study of the chromatographic behavior

The properties of four cholesteric bonded stationary phases differing in the nature of the spacer and the end-capping were assessed using simple chromatographic tests based on the retention of nonpolar compounds and of planar or nonplanar probe solutes. All cholesteric columns showed a hydrophobicity close to that of conventional octadecyldimethylsilyl (ODS) materials. Non-end-capped cholesteric bonded phases showed greater selectivity than ODS ones and both end-capped cholesteric bonded phases exhibit behavior intermediate between that of the non-end-capped original material and that of the ODS bonded phase.     

Separation of urea and other polar compounds by HPLC

Summary Urea, glycolic and aminoxyacetic acid amides are the polar metabolites of 2-acetyl-3-phenyl-tetrahydro-1,2,4-oxadiazin-5-one (RGH 4615). They cannot be separated on octadecyl-, cyanosilyl- or amino-phase columns, but silica, used with C₃-C₄ alcohol and water mixtures as the eluent permits their separation. Besides refractive index detection and on-line radioactivity measurement the metabolic formation of¹⁴C-urea was proved by enzymatic cleavage into¹⁴CO₂.