Complementary mobile-phase optimisation for resolution enhancement in high-performance liquid chromatography

An optimisation methodology in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is presented for the selection of two or more mobile phases having an optimal complementary resolution. The complementary mobile phases (CMPs) are selected in such a way that each one resolves optimally only some compounds in the mixture, while the remainder, resolved by the other mobile phase(s), can overlap among them. The methodology is based on the computation of a peak purity measurement for each solute, using an asymmetrical peak model for peak simulation. Two global resolution criteria (product of elementary resolutions and worst elementary resolution) and two methods for solving the problem (a systematic examination of all possible solute arrangements, and the use of genetic algorithms to expedite the calculation time) were used to find the optimal CMPs. The CMP optimisation methodology was applied to the resolution of a mixture of 10 diuretics and beta-blockers, which could not be resolved using a single mobile phase; virtual baseline resolution was achieved, however, with two CMPs.     

Performance of short-chain alcohols versus acetonitrile in the surfactant-mediated reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of β-blockers

Organic solvents are traditionally added to micellar mobile phases to achieve adequate retention times and peak profiles, in a chromatographic mode which has been called micellar liquid chromatography (MLC). The organic solvent content is limited to preserve the formation of micelles. However, at increasing organic solvent contents, the transition to a situation where micelles do not exist is gradual. Also, there is no reason to neglect the potentiality of mobile phases containing only surfactant monomers instead of micelles (high submicellar chromatography, HSC). This is demonstrated here for the analysis of β-blockers. The performance of four organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, and acetonitrile) was compared in mobile phases containing the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate in the MLC and HSC modes. The association of the organic solvent molecules with micelles gives rise to a significant loss in the elution strength of the organic solvent; whereas upon disruption of micelles, it tends to that observed in the hydro-organic mode. The elution behaviour of the β-blockers was modelled to predict the retention times. This allowed the detailed exploration of the selectivity and resolution of the chromatographic systems in relatively wide ranges of concentration of surfactant and organic solvent. The best performance in terms of resolution and analysis time was achieved using HSC with acetonitrile, being able to base-line resolve a mixture of eight β-blockers. Ethanol also provided a good separation performance, significantly improved with respect to methanol and 1-propanol. In contrast, the hydro-organic mode using acetonitrile or any of the short-chain alcohols could not succeed with the separation of the β-blockers, owing to the poorer selectivity and wider peaks.     

Simultaneous isocratic separation of phenolic acids and flavonoids using micellar liquid chromatography

The simultaneous isocratic separation of a mixture of five phenolic acids and four flavonoids (two important groups of natural polyphenolic compounds with very different polarities) was investigated in three different RPLC modes using a hydro‐organic mobile phase, and mobile phases containing SDS at concentrations below and above the critical micellar concentration (submicellar LC and micellar LC (MLC), respectively). In the hydro‐organic mode, methanol and acetonitrile; in the submicellar mode methanol; and in the micellar mode, methanol and 1‐propanol were examined individually as organic modifiers. Regarding the other modes, MLC provided more appropriate resolutions and analysis time and was preferred for the separation of the selected compounds. Optimization of separation in MLC was performed using an interpretative approach for each alcohol. In this way, the retention of phenolic acids and flavonoids were modeled using the retention factors obtained from five different mobile phases, then the Pareto optimality method was applied to find the best compatibility between analysis time and quality of separation. The results of this study showed some promising advantages of MLC for the simultaneous separation of phenolic acids and flavonoids, including low consumption of organic solvent, good resolution, short analysis time, and no requirement of gradient elution.     

Insights into the retention mechanism on an octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase (HyPURITY C18) in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Plots of the retention factor against mobile phase composition were used to organize a varied group of solutes into three categories according to their retention mechanism on an octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase HyPURITY C18 with methanol-water and acetonitrile-water mobile phase compositions containing 10-70% (v/v) organic solvent. The solutes in category 1 could be fit to a general retention model, Eq. (2), and exhibited normal retention behavior for the full composition range. The solutes in category 2 exhibited normal retention behavior at high organic solvent composition with a discontinuity at low organic solvent compositions. The solutes in category 3 exhibited a pronounced step or plateau in the middle region of the retention plots with a retention mechanism similar to category 1 solutes at mobile phase compositions after the discontinuity and a different retention mechanism before the discontinuity. Selecting solutes and appropriate composition ranges from the three categories where a single retention mechanism was operative allowed modeling of the experimental retention factors using the solvation parameter model. These models were then used to predict retention factors for solutes not included in the models. The overwhelming number of residual values [log k (experimental) - log k (model predicted)] were negative and could be explained by contributions from steric repulsion, defined as the inability of the solute to insert itself fully into the stationary phase because of its bulkiness (i.e., volume and/or shape). Steric repulsion is shown to strongly depend on the mobile phase composition and was more significant for mobile phases with a low volume fraction of organic solvent in general and for mobile phases containing methanol rather than acetonitrile. For mobile phases containing less than about 20 % (v/v) organic solvent the mobile phase was unable to completely wet the stationary phase resulting in a significant change in the phase ratio and for acetonitrile (but less so methanol) changes in the solvation environment indicated by a discontinuity in the system maps.     

Reversed phase liquid chromatography with UV absorbance and flame ionization detection using a water mobile phase and a cyano propyl stationary phase Analysis of alcohols and chlorinated hydrocarbons

The development of liquid chromatography with a commercially available cyano propyl stationary phase and a 100% water mobile phase is reported. Separations were performed at ambient temperature, simplifying instrumental requirements. Excellent separation efficiency using a water mobile phase was achieved, for example N=18 800, or 75 200 m(-1), was obtained for resorcinol, at a retention factor of k'=4.88 (retention time of 9.55 min at 1 ml min(-1) for a 25 cmx4.6 mm i.d. column, packed with 5 mum diameter particles with the cyano propyl stationary phase). A separation via reversed phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) with a 100% water mobile phase of six phenols and related compounds was compared to a separation of the same compounds by traditional RP-LC, using octadecylsilane (ODS), i.e. C18, bound to silica and an aqueous mobile phase modified with acetonitrile. Nearly identical analysis time was achieved for the separation of six phenols and related compounds using the cyano propyl stationary phase with a 100% water mobile phase, as compared to traditional RP-LC requiring a relatively large fraction of organic solvent modifier in the mobile phase (25% acetonitrile:75% water). Additional understanding of the retention mechanism with the 100% water mobile phase was obtained by relating measured retention factors of aliphatic alcohols, phenols and related compounds, and chlorinated hydrocarbons to their octanol:water partition coefficients. The retention mechanism is found to be consistent with a RP-LC mechanism coupled with an additional retention effect due to residual hydroxyl groups on the cyano propyl stationary phase. Advantages due to a 100% water mobile phase for the chemical analysis of alcohol mixtures and chlorinated hydrocarbons are reported. By placing an absorbance detector in-series and preceding a novel drop interface to a flame ionization detector (FID), selective detection of a separated mixture of phenols and related compounds and aliphatic alcohols is achieved. The compound class of aliphatic alcohols is selectively and sensitively detected by the drop interface/FID, and the phenols and related compounds are selectively and sensitively detected by absorbance detection at 200 nm. The separation and detection of chlorinated hydrocarbons in a water sample matrix further illustrated the advantages of this methodology. The sensitivity and selectivity of the FID signal for the chlorinated hydrocarbons are significantly better than absorbance detection, even at 200 nm. This methodology is well suited to continuous and automated monitoring of water samples. The applicability of samples initially in an organic solvent matrix is explored, since an organic sample matrix may effect retention and efficiency. Separations in acetonitrile and isopropyl alcohol sample matrices compared well to separations with a water sample matrix.     

Use of vancomycin silica stationary phase in packed capillary electrochromatography: III. enantiomeric separation of basic compounds with the polar organic mobile phase

The separation of basic compounds into their enantiomers was achieved using capillary electrochromatography in 50 or 75 microm inner diameter (ID) fused-silica capillaries packed with silica a stationary phase derivatized with vancomycin and mobile phases composed of mixtures of polar organic solvents containing 13 mM ammonium acetate. Enantiomer resolution, electroosmotic flow, and the number of theoretical plates were strongly influenced by the type and concentration of the organic solvent. Mobile phases composed of 13 mM ammonium acetate dissolved in mixtures of acetonitrile/methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, or isopropanol were tested and the highest enantioresolutions were achieved using the first mobile phase, allowing the separation of almost all investigated enantiomers (9 from 11 basic compounds). The use of capillaries with different ID (50 and 75 microm ID) packed with the same chiral stationary phase revealed that a higher number of theoretical plates and higher enantioresolution was achieved with the tube with lowest ID.     

Analytical and semi-preparative HPLC enantioseparation of novel pyridazin-3(2H)-one derivatives with α-aminophosphonate moiety using immobilized polysaccharide chiral stationary phases

The direct HPLC enantioseparation of a novel series of chiral pyridazin-3(2H)-one derivatives with α-aminophosphonate moiety was performed on two immobilized polysaccharide chiral stationary phases (Chiralpak IA, Chiralpak IC) using n-hexane (n-Hex)/dichloromethane (DCM) mobile phase with 5% alcohol additive. Good baseline separation of the enantiomers was achieved using amylose tris-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phases (Chiralpak IA) on analytical scale. The analytical method was further scaled up to semi-preparative loading to obtain small amounts of both the enantiomers of pyridazin-3(2H)-one derivative. The semi-preparative resolution of all compounds was successfully achieved with n-hexane/dichloromethane/ethanol (EtOH) as mobile phase using a semi-preparative Chiralpak IA column. The first fractions were isolated with purities of >99.9% (enantiomeric excess (e.e.), and the second fractions were obtained with purities of >98.2% (enantiomeric excess). The assignment of the absolute configuration was established for the F1 fraction of compound a-2 by single-crystal X-ray diffraction method.     

Improvement of peak shape in aqueous normal phase analysis of anionic metabolites

The problem of poor peak shape for multiply charged negative-ion analytes under aqueous normal phase (ANP) conditions is investigated. Because less than adequate efficiency and symmetry can occur with a variety of mobile phases, gradients and additives, and to varying degrees depending on the instrument, sources other than solute/stationary phase interactions are more likely the cause. Since it is known that many of these compounds can interact strongly with metal ions, addition of a chelating agent to the mobile phase and/or the sample solvent was tested. In particular, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is a compound that forms strong complexes with most di-and tri-valent metal ions and can be used to verify whether trace amounts of these species are the source of the problem. In addition, the retention of a number of anionic compounds was measured at various concentrations of ammonium acetate and formate with EDTA in the mobile phase.     

Effect of Temperature on the Chromatographic Behavior of Epirubicin and its Analogues on High Purity Silica Using Reversed-Phase Solvents

The influence of temperature on the retention behavior of epirubicin and its analogues on high purity silica with reversed-phase solvents has been systematically investigated. It was found that temperature effects on retention are highly dependent on the type and concentration of organic modifier, as well as the pH of the mobile phase. In organic-rich mobile phases, the type of organic modifier plays an important role. With an aprotic solvent as modifier, retention times show anomalous increases with elevated temperature. At the same time, both efficiency and resolution are significantly improved but this is not the situation with a protic solvent as modifier. In addition, temperature shows different effects on retention time and selectivity when the pH is changed, and temperature-dependent selectivity reversal is found at higher pHs. In aqueous-rich mobile phases, regardless of the nature of the organic solvent and pH, retention of solutes drops as temperature is raised. It seems that the effect of temperature on chromatographic behavior of the solutes on bare silica using mobile phases containing various organic modifiers or pHs, results from a number of different retention mechanisms.     

Transforming chiral liquid chromatography methodologies into more sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry without losing enantioselectivity

LC-electrospray ionization (ESI) MS conditions were optimized for the individual chiral separation of 19 compounds of pharmaceutical interest using the macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases in both polar organic and reversed-phase modes (RPM). The influence of mobile phase composition and MS additive type on sensitivity was investigated for all classes of compounds tested. Compounds with amine or amide groups were efficiently separated, ionized, and detected with the addition of 0.1% (w/w) ammonium trifluoroacetate to the solvent system in either the reversed-phase or polar organic mode (POM). Macrocyclic glycopeptide coupled column technology was initially used to screen all chiral compounds analyzed. Baseline resolution of enantiomers was then achieved with relatively short retention times and high efficiencies on Chirobiotic T, Chirobiotic V or Chirobiotic R narrow bore chiral stationary phases. The polar organic mode offered better limits of detection (as low as 100 pg/ml) and sensitivity over reversed-phase methods. An optimum flow-rate range of 200-400 microl/min was necessary for sensitive chiral LC-ESI-MS analysis.     

Combined effects of mobile phase composition and temperature on the retention of homologous and polar test compounds on polydentate C8 column

Combined effects of temperature and mobile phase on the reversed phase chromatographic behavior of alkylbenzenes and simple substituted benzenes were investigated on a Blaze C₈ polydentate silica-based column, showing improved resistance against hydrolytic breakdown at temperatures higher than 60 °C, in comparison to silica-based stationary phases with single attachment sites. For better insight into the retention mechanism on polydentate columns, we determined the enthalpy and entropy of the transfer of the test compounds from the mobile to the stationary phase. The enthalpic contribution dominated the retention at 80% or lower concentrations of methanol in the mobile phase. Entropic effects are more significant in 90% methanol and in acetonitrile–water mobile phases. Anomalies in the effects of mobile phase on the enthalpy of retention of benzene, methylbenzene and polar benzene derivatives were observed, in comparison to regular change in enthalpy and entropy of adsorption with changing concentration of organic solvent and the alkyl length for higher alkylbenzenes. The temperature and the mobile phase effects on the retention are practically independent of each other and – to first approximation – can be described by a simple model equation, which can be used for optimization of separation conditions.     

Titania-based stationary phase in separation of ondansetron and its related compounds

Improvements in stationary phase stability have been and remain a great task for research of new stationary phases. Metal oxide-based stationary phases appear as one of perspective alternatives to classical silica based stationary phases regarding to their similar effectiveness, different selectivity, different retention mechanism and mainly better chemical and thermal stability. In this study, the retention behaviour of ondansetron and its five pharmacopoeial impurities on TiO(2)-based reversed phase was investigated. The influence of buffer type, pH and concentration on retention was studied. Different types and amount of organic solvent in mobile phase were tested. The effect of temperature and flow rate on separation was investigated. The separation conditions were optimized and developed method validated. The retention parameters - retention time (t(R)), retention factor (k'), theoretical plate number (N), resolution between peaks due to nearby peaks (R(s)) and symmetry factor (A(s)) have been compared to parameters achieved on polybutadiene-coated zirconia column. The thermodynamic parameters of retention of analysed compounds - enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy - were calculated and compared to those achieved on polybutadiene-coated zirconia column. This work proves similarity of retention behaviour of ondansetron and its five related compounds on zirconia-based and titania-based stationary phases and potential utilisation of polyethylene covered TiO(2)-based reversed stationary phase as an alternative to polybutadiene-coated ZrO(2) stationary phase in pharmaceutical analysis of ondansetron.     

Dual‐mode hydrophilic interaction normal phase and reversed phase liquid chromatography of polar compounds on a single column

Adopting a stationary phase convention circumvents problematic definition of the boundary between the stationary and the mobile phase in the liquid chromatography, resulting in thermodynamically consistent and reproducible chromatographic data. Three stationary phase definition conventions provide different retention data, but equal selectivity: (i) the complete solid phase moiety; (ii) the solid porous part carrying the active interaction centers; (iii) the volume of the inner column pores. The selective uptake of water from the bulk aqueous‐organic mobile phase significantly affects the volume and the properties of polar stationary phases. Some polar stationary phases provide dual‐mode retention mechanism in aqueous‐organic mobile phases, reversed‐phase in the water‐rich range, and normal‐phase at high concentrations of the organic solvent in water. The linear solvation energy relationship model characterizes the structural contributions of the non‐selective and selective polar interactions both in the water‐rich and organic solvent‐rich mobile phases. The inner‐pore convention provides a single hold‐up volume value for the retention prediction on the dual‐mode columns over the full mobile phase range. Using the dual‐mode monolithic polymethacrylate zwitterionic micro‐columns alternatively in each mode in the first dimension of two‐dimensional liquid chromatography, in combination with a short reversed‐phase column in the second dimension, provides enhanced sample information.     

Evaluation of polymeric methacrylate-based monoliths in capillary electrochromatography for their potential to separate pharmaceutical compounds

Polymeric methacrylate-based monoliths are evaluated in capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and pressurized capillary electrochromatography (p-CEC) for their potential in pharmaceutical analysis. Using a given polymerization mixture as a basis for the monolith synthesis, different mobile phase pH at constant organic modifier concentrations are tested in both CEC and p-CEC. The test set consists of basic, acidic, amphoteric, and neutral compounds, which are mainly pharmaceuticals. Because of the mainly hydrophobic character of the stationary phase, the interactions are largest when the compounds appear in an uncharged state, but some ion-exchange phenomena with negatively charged compounds can also be observed. In CEC, acidic substances are most retained at low pH. For amphoteric and neutral compounds, no preference regarding analyzing pH can be derived from these experiments. For basics, a high pH is chosen, but a reduced solvent strength is needed to enhance the retention of these compounds. The retention mechanism in p-CEC can also be assigned to both hydrophobic and ionic interactions. For acidic, amphoteric, and neutral compounds, acceptable retention is seen. For the basic compounds, the retention with a mobile phase containing 50% organic modifier is low, as in CEC. However, when the organic modifier content in the mobile phase is decreased, retention increases and the selectivity of the stationary phase is more pronounced. This mode of operation presents a possibility for separating some test mixtures, thus some potential for pharmaceutical analysis is seen. More efforts are needed to obtain higher efficiencies and better peak shapes, which might be solved by a further optimization of both the stationary phase synthesis and the mobile phase composition.     

A complementary mobile phase approach based on the peak count concept oriented to the full resolution of complex mixtures

Situations of minimal resolution are often found in liquid chromatography, when samples that contain a large number of compounds, or highly similar in terms of structure and/or polarity, are analysed. This makes full resolution with a single separation condition (e.g., mobile phase, gradient or column) unfeasible. In this work, the optimisation of the resolution of such samples in reversed-phase liquid chromatography is approached using two or more isocratic mobile phases with a complementary resolution behaviour (complementary mobile phases, CMPs). Each mobile phase is dedicated to the separation of a group of compounds. The CMPs are selected in such a way that, when the separation is considered globally, all the compounds in the sample are satisfactorily resolved. The search of optimal CMPs can be carried out through a comprehensive examination of the mobile phases in a selected domain. The computation time of this search has been reported to be substantially reduced by application of a genetic algorithm with local search (LOGA). A much simpler approach is here described, which is accessible to non-experts in programming, and offers solutions of the same quality as LOGA, with a similar computation time. The approach makes a sequential search of CMPs based on the peak count concept, which is the number of peaks exceeding a pre-established resolution threshold. The new approach is described using as test sample a mixture of 30 probe compounds, 23 of them with an ionisable character, and the pH and organic solvent contents as experimental factors.     

Liquid chromatography analysis of monosubstituted sulfobutyl ether-beta-cyclodextrin isomers on porous graphitic carbon

The retention behaviour of the three positional isomers of monosubstituted sulfobutyl ether-beta-cyclodextrin was investigated on a porous graphitic carbon (PGC) column. The influence of the mobile phase composition (nature and concentration of organic and electronic modifiers) was studied as well as the effect of column temperature. These hydrophilic and anionic analytes were highly retained on the PGC stationary phase compared to octadecyl bonded phases. The retention is mainly governed by a reversed-phase mechanism with electronic interaction playing a secondary role. An increase in solute retention and efficiency with temperature was observed. Successful isocratic separation with satisfactory baseline resolution of the three isomers of monosubstituted sulfobutyl ether-beta-cyclodextrin was achieved at 75 degrees C on a Hypercarb column by using ammonium acetate as electronic modifier in water-acetonitrile (83:17). The chromatographic methodology developed can be easily used for relative quantification of each isomer within a mixture and can be applied for semi-preparative purification of each one. The evaporative light scattering detector allows the detection of these non UV-visible absorbing molecules.     

Enantioseparation tuned by solvent polarity on a β‐cyclodextrin clicked chiral stationary phase

The efficient enantioseparation of 26 racemates has been achieved with the perphenylcarbamoylated cyclodextrin clicked chiral stationary phase by screening the optimum composition of mobile phase in high‐performance liquid chromatography. The chromatographic results indicate that both the retention and chiral resolution of racemates are closely related to the polarity of the mobile phases and the structures of analytes. The addition of alcohols can significantly tune the enantioseparation in normal‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography. The addition of methanol and the ratio of ethanol/methanol or isopropanol/methanol played a key role on the resolution of flavonoids in ternary eluent systems. The chiral separation of flavonoids with pure organic solvent as mobile phase indicates the preferential order for chiral resolution is methanol>ethanol>isopropanol>n‐propanol>acetonitrile.     

Optimisation of high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection using an automatic peak tracking procedure based on augmented iterative target transformation factor analysis

An automated method for the optimisation of high-performance liquid chromatography is developed. First of all, the sample of interest is analysed with various eluent compositions. All obtained data are combined into one augmented data matrix. Subsequently, augmented iterative target transformation factor analysis performs the integrated tasks of curve resolution and peak tracking. Since this type of curve resolution processes all data at once, it can deal with strong peak overlap and reveal the correspondence of compounds between runs, i.e. peak tracking. The retention time and peak width at half height for each component of the sample are determined for every eluent composition. Next, models are built for the retention time and the peak width at half height. These models are used to predict the resolution and the analysis time for each point in factor space. Finally, a multi-criterion decision-making method, Pareto optimality, is used to find the optimum. The method completes all calculations within a few minutes and without user intervention. By means of this procedure, a mixture of three benzodiazepines is successfully separated using a ternary mobile phase. There are two requirements for the automated optimisation method to work correctly. Firstly, all components of the sample must have sufficiently different spectra. Secondly, each compound should have the same spectrum under all experimental conditions.