Surface-bonded ionic liquid stationary phases in high-performance liquid chromatography—A review

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of ionic, nonmolecular solvents which remain in liquid state at temperatures below 100 °C. ILs possess a variety of properties including low to negligible vapor pressure, high thermal stability, miscibility with water or a variety of organic solvents, and variable viscosity. IL-modified silica as novel high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) stationary phases have attracted considerable attention for their differential behavior and low free-silanol activity. Indeed, around 21 surface-confined ionic liquids (SCIL) stationary phases have been developed in the last six years. Their chromatographic behavior has been studied, and, despite the presence of a positive charge on the stationary phase, they showed considerable promise for the separation of neutral solutes (not only basic analytes), when operated in reversed phase mode. This aspect points to the potential for truly multimodal stationary phases. This review attempts to summarize the state-of-the-art about SCIL phases including their preparation, chromatographic behavior, and analytical performance.     

Protein separation using a novel silica-based RPLC/IEC stationary phase modified with N-methylimidazolium ionic liquid

Ionic liquids (ILs) immobilized on silica as novel high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) stationary phases have attracted considerable attention. However, it has not been applied to protein separation. In this paper, N-methylimidazolium IL-modified silica-based stationary phase (SilprMim) was prepared and investigated as a novel multi-interaction stationary phase charged positively for protein separation. The results indicate that all of the basic proteins tested cannot be absorbed on this novel stationary phase, whereas all of the acidic proteins tested can be retained, and the baseline separation of eight kinds of acidic protein standards can be achieved when performed in reversed phase/ ion-exchange chromatography (RPLC/IEC) mode. Compared with commonly used commercial octadecylated silica (ODS) column, the novel stationary phase can show selectivity and good resolution to acidic proteins, which has a promising application in the separation and analyses of acidic proteins from the complex samples in proteomics. In addition, the chromatographic behavior of proteins, the effect of the ligand structure and the retention mechanism on this stationary phase were also investigated.     

Chiral Method Development Strategies for HPLC using Macrocyclic Glycopeptide-Based Stationary Phases

Chiral HPLC methods using macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases have been widely used and reported; however, the development of efficient methods to separate and quantify the analytes with high resolution is a challenging task. Therefore, the knowledge regarding the optimization of chromatographic parameters regarding this type of chiral chromatography is essential. This review presents and discusses the optimization of HPLC conditions and parameters for the chiral resolution of racemic drugs on macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases. Strategies for chiral method development are presented, using polar ionic, reversed phase, normal phase and polar organic modes. The effect of the most important chromatographic parameters, such as mobile phase composition, flow rate and temperature on the enantioseparation are discussed aiming the adequate screening and optimization protocol for each mode.     

Preparation of pyrenebutyric acid-modified magnesia-zirconia stationary phases using phosphonate as spacers and their application to the separation of fullerenes

A novel method was proposed for the preparation of pyrenebutyric acid-modified magnesia-zirconia stationary phases. Pyrenebutyric acid was grafted to magnesia-zirconia composites with different pore sizes via the sodium salt of cis-(3-methyloxiranyl)phosphonic acid (fosfomycin) as spacers. Aminated fosfomycin was first absorbed onto the surface of magnesia-zirconia composites during the preliminary step to provide amino and hydroxy reactive sites. And then the pyrenebutyric acid was covalently attached to the amine or hydroxyl groups via amide or ester bonds. The resulting stationary phases were characterized by elemental analysis, diffused reflectance FT-IR, nitrogen adsorption analysis and ¹³C solid state NMR spectra. The HPLC separation of fullerenes on the new stationary phases with different pore sizes was also investigated. The chromatographic performance showed a dependence on the pore size of the magnesia-zirconia matrix. Little retention of fullerenes was observed on the stationary phase with pore sizes about 4.5 nm. However, on the modified magnesia-zirconia with pore sizes about 10 nm, selectivity factors (α) for C₇₀/C₆₀ separation were determined to be 1.76, 2.29, 2.41, 3.10, with carbon disulfide, chlorobenzene, xylene and toluene as mobile phases, respectively. And the high solubility of fullerenes in these solvents dramatically increased the overall potential with regard to preparative fullerene purification. Among the reported stationary phases with pyrene ligands, the pyrenebutyric acid-modified magnesia-zirconia (PYB-F-(ZrO₂-MgO)) with larger pore sizes exhibited the best selectivity for fullerenes. The thermodynamic and kinetic behavior of fullerenes was also examined.     

“Click chemistry” preparation of WCX packings for protein separation

Click chemistry was applied to immobilize three kinds of alkyne-carboxylic acids onto azide-modified silica gel to prepare three novel stationary phases for weak cation exchange chromatography(WCX).The developed protocol combines the benefits of operational simplicity,exceptionally mild conditions and high surface loadings.Six kinds of standard proteins were separated completely on the novel packings.Compared with commercial WCX columns,the three kinds of novel WCX packings prepared by click chemistry approach have better resolution and selectivity.Lysozyme was purified successfully from egg white with the novel WCX column by one step.The purity was more than 97%and a high specific activity was achieved to be 81,435 U/mg.The results illustrate the potential of click chemistry for preparation of stationary phase for IEC.     

Preparation of weak cation exchange packings for chromatographic separation of proteins using "click chemistry'

"Click chemistry" is defined as a class of robust and selective chemical reactions affording high yields and is tolerant to a variety of solvents (including water), functional groups, and air. In this study, click chemistry was used as an effective strategy for coupling three alkyne-carboxylic acids onto the azide-silica to obtain three novel stationary phases of weak cation exchange chromatography, which were characterized with FTIR and elemental analysis. Six kinds of standard proteins, such as myoglobin, RNase A, RNase B, cytochrome C, α-chymotrypsin A, and lysozyme, were separated completely with the three novel weak cation exchange chromatography stationary phases. Compared with commercial weak cation exchange chromatography columns, the three kinds of novel weak cation exchange chromatography packings prepared by click chemistry approach have better resolution and selectivity. The mass recovery of more than 97% was obtained for all the tested proteins, and the bioactivity recovery of lysozyme on the prepared column was determined to be 96%. In addition, lysozyme was purified successfully from egg white with the novel weak cation exchange chromatography column by one step. The purity was more than 97% and a high specific activity was achieved to be 81 435 U/mg. The results illustrate the potential of click chemistry for preparing stationary phase for ion-exchange chromatography.     

Enantioselective high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of N-methyloxycarbonyl unsaturated amino acids on macrocyclic glycopeptide stationary phases

This paper describes the enantiomeric resolution of a series of unsaturated N-methyloxycarbonyl-alpha-H-alpha-amino acids (N-MOC-alpha-amino acids) on macrocyclic glycopeptide stationary phases by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Three types of glycopeptide phases, i.e. Chirobiotic T, V and R, were evaluated in both reversed-phase (RP) and polar ionic mode (PIM). The best results in terms of enantioselectivity and resolution were obtained on Chirobiotic R phase, with the PIM mobile phase giving the highest resolution per min. Investigation of the pH of the reversed-phase mobile phase in the pH range 4.1-5.9 showed little effect on enantioselectivity. The method was applied for monitoring the conversion and product enantiomeric excess of an enzymatic hydrolysis reaction using N-MOC-alpha-H-alpha-amino acid esters as substrate.     

Effects of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions on the chromatographic behavior of biopolymers in HPLC columns

The effect of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions on the chromatographic behavior of biopolymers with the use of chemically bonded silica-based HPLC columns and aqueous buffered mobile phases containing neutral salts in a wide range of concentration is discussed. Two columns packed with stationary phases appositely designed for biopolymer HPLC in size exclusion and anion exchange mode, respectively, are examined. Experimental data are evaluated by plotting the measured isocratic elution volumes of several standard proteins of different isoelectric point against the salt concentration in the mobile phase. Depending on the concentration and nature of salt, both columns exhibit different domains where either sieving effect or electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions are predominant. At sufficiently low salt concentrations electrostatic interactions are predominant leading to either increasing or decreasing elution volumes depending on the sign of the charges on the stationary phase and the protein, respectively. On the other hand, at high salt concentrations of a salt with sufficiently high molal surface tension increment proteins may be retained by hydrophobic interactions.     

High performance separations of nucleic acids using capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography

High resolution separations of nucleic acids have been performed using high performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Electropherograms showing HPCE separations of single and double stranded DNA are presented and compared with HPLC separations. Single base resolution of poly(dA) oligonucleotides in the size range of 12 to 60-mers was achieved in 35 min using HPCE. Plate numbers for HPCE are in the hundreds of thousands and reproducibility is about 1–2 % (RSD). In comparison with HPLC separations, the resolution of nucleic acids obtained using HPCE is much better than that using HPLC, while reproducibility of HPCE is comparable with that of HPLC.     

Polymerised bicontinuous microemulsions as stationary phases for capillary electrochromatography

Summary Polymerisation of bicontinuous microemulsions yields porous monolithic structures with well defined pore sizes that are potentially suitable for use as stationary phases for capillary electrochromatography (CEC). A variety of pore sizes can be achieved by altering the composition of the microemulsion, which typically consists of butyl methacrylate (BMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the polymerisable oil phase. The aqueous phase consists of water, a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulphate, SDS) and a co-surfactant (1-propanol). 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) is also added to provide charges along the polymer backbone to allow electroosmotic flow (EOF) to occur. SEM analysis shows that in-situ polymerisation yields a monolithic structure with a porous topography. Investigations have shown that these monoliths are easy to prepare, robust and suitable for the separation of phthalates. They generate higher linear velocities than are achieved using the silica based HPLC packings normally used for CEC.     

Enantioselective HPLC separation of bioactive C5-chiral 2-pyrazolines on lux amylose-2 and lux cellulose-2: Comparative and mechanistic approaches

Stereoselective analytical HPLC separations have been developed for a series of biologically active chiral 2-pyrazolines (1-22) to be used in monitoring their resolution reactions or to custom semipreparative HPLC separations prior to biological assessment of both enantiomers. Polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSPs), namely, Lux amylose-2 and cellulose-2, have been used. Both normal (n-hexane/ethanol) and polar organic (ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile, or mixtures thereof) elution modes were very beneficial for the achievement of baseline separations. The impact of various chemical moieties embedded in the structures of 2-pyrazolines 1-22 and the adopted stationary phases on chiral recognition has been investigated. A case of reversed order of elution following alterations in either stationary phase or elution mode has been observed. Our findings recommend that normal elution mode can be used for optimizing semipreparative HPLC methods whereas polar organic mobile phases (such as acetonitrile and ethanol) are more suited to stereoselective reactions monitoring, routine quality control work, or for pharmacological and toxicological assays. These results settle the implementation of polysaccharide-based CSPs using different elution modes and declare the practicality of such CSPs in stereoselective HPLC.     

Discontinuous reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography increases load capacity of analytical columns. Separation of ribosomal proteins from the archaebacteriumSulfolobus acidocaldarius

Summary Since ribosomes are a fundamental feature component of all organisms, they present a good model for studying evolutionary diversity. We investigated the ribosomal proteins of the archaebacteriumSulfolobus acidocaldarius, which contains slightly more ribosomal proteins thanEscherichia coli. While the ribosomal proteins of most organisms contain a high proportion of lysine and arginine residues, these basic amino acids are particularly prevelent in the thermaacidophile organismSulfolobus, a possible reason for poor separations of total ribosomal proteins ofS. acidocaldarius by single column HPLC. To solve this complex separation problem, we developed the discontinuous reversed-phase HPLC (Disc RPC) method. Discontinuus chromatography combines at least two different stationary phases in a sequence of increasing retention times for the elution of proteins. Unlike other multi-column techniques, all of the injected sample passes through this discontinous stationary phase, which is used in place of single columns, thus permitting separations to be carried out without the need any changes in the HPLC system. Here we present Disc RPC separations of 30S ribosomal proteins fromS. acidocaldarius with a variety of stationary phases of different legnths and diameters. Each of five Disc RPC categories presented in this paper has some special application possibilities when used in protein HPLC.     

Capillary electrochromatography of methylated benzo[a]pyrene isomers. II. Effect of stationary phase tuning

For Part II of our ongoing study, we present a strategy for stationary phase optimization for the capillary electrochromatographic (CEC) separation of the 12 methylated benzo[a]pyrene (MBAP) isomers. Utilizing the optimum mobile phase conditions from Part I of our study as a guide, seven commercially available stationary phases have been evaluated for their ability to separate highly hydrophobic MBAP isomers. Ranging in design from high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to CEC application, each phase was slurry packed in house and tested for CEC suitability and performance. Several stationary phase parameters were investigated for their effects on MBAP separation including bonding type (monomeric or polymeric, % carbon loading, surface coverage), pore size, particle size, and type of alkyl substituent. In this manner, the present state of commercially available packings has been assessed in our laboratory. Utilizing the optimum polymeric C18-5 microm-100 A-PAH stationary phase, the effects of CEC packed bed length and capillary inside diameter (I.D.) were also evaluated. A 50 microm I.D. capillary, 25 cm packed bed length and 75% (v/v) acetonitrile, 12.5 mM Tris, pH 8.0, 20 degrees C at 30 kV, provided resolution of 11 out of 12 MBAP isomers thus showing the effectiveness of CEC for analysis of structurally similar methylated polyaromatic hydrocarbons.     

Characterization of stationary phases by a linear solvation energy relationship utilizing supercritical fluid chromatography

Supercritical fluid chromatography was utilized in combination with the Abraham model of linear solvation energy relationship to characterize 11 different HPLC stationary phases. System constants were determined at one supercritical fluid chromatography condition for each stationary phase. The results indicate that several types of silica columns, including type B silica, type C silica, and fused core silica, are very similar in their retention behavior. Several aromatic stationary phases were characterized and it was found that, in contrast to the other phases studied, all of the aromatic stationary phases had positive contributions from the dispersion/cavity (v) term of the linear solvation energy relationship. Several aliphatic phases were characterized and there were several linear solvation energy relationship constants that differentiated the phases from each other, mainly the polar terms (dipolarity and hydrogen bonding). One stationary phase, a fused core pentafluorophenyl (PFP) phase, had very poor regression quality. The column volume of this phase was lower than the others in the study, which may have had some impact on the results of the regression.     

Selectivity of calixarene‐bonded silica phases in HPLC: Description of special characteristics with a multiple term linear equation at different methanol concentrations

Retention and selectivity characteristics of different calixarene‐, resorcinarene‐ and alkyl‐bonded stationary phases are examined by analyzing a set of test solutes covering the main interactions (hydrophobic, steric, ionic, polar) that apply in HPLC. Therefore Dolan and Snyder's multiple term linear equation has been adapted to fit the properties of calixarene‐bonded columns. The obtained parameters are used to describe retention and selectivity of the novel Caltrex^® phases and to elucidate underlying mechanisms of retention. Here, differences of stationary phase characteristics at different methanol concentrations in the mobile phases are examined. Both selectivity and retention were found to depend on the methanol content. Differences of these dependencies were found for different stationary phases and interactions. The differences between common alkyl‐bonded and novel calixarene‐bonded phases increase with increasing methanol content.     

环果糖色谱柱分离4组结构类似物

考察了聚苯乙烯键合天然环果糖色谱柱MCI Gel CRS100、硅胶键合天然环果糖色谱柱Frulic N、硅胶键合异丙基氨基甲酸酯衍生环果糖色谱柱Larihc P、硅胶键合R-萘乙基氨基甲酸酯衍生环果糖色谱柱Larihc RN在正相模式下对免疫抑制剂、维生素E、姜黄类化合物、辣椒碱4组结构类似物的分离能力。考察了固定相支撑物、固定相功能基团、流动相组成等条件对色谱分离效率的影响。结果显示MCI Gel CRS100由于其固定相较强的疏水性适用于正相色谱而不适用于亲水作用色谱。衍生化的环果糖色谱柱Larihc P和Larihc RN比天然环果糖色谱柱Frulic N具有更高的选择性。三氟乙酸的加入对环果糖色谱柱在正相色谱中分离能力的影响较小。     

聚硅氧烷包夹聚合硅基高效液相色谱固定相的表征及其色谱性能

利用元素分析、红外光谱、扫描电镜及汞压吸附法对制备的聚硅氧烷包夹硅基反相高效液相色谱固定相进行了表征,给出了该固定相的结构信息及其与色谱性能的关系;用滴定法测定了该固定相表面硅羟基数目;考察了该固定相对碱性化合物的分离性能;由表征和色谱性能考察结果可知,该固定相表面的羟基基本被覆盖,因此,可在碱性流动相中长期使用。     

用于富勒烯分离的高效液相色谱固定相

用于富勒烯分离的高效液相色谱固定相陈德朴，郁鉴源，廖沐真，黄贺生，刘凤英，刘梦林（清华大学化学系，北京，１０００８４）（清华大学现代应用物理系）关键词Ｃ_（６０）、Ｃ_（７０）分离，固定相，高效液相色谱目前有关富勒烯的研究是国际上一个非常活跃的研究领域...     

Mixed‐mode chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry

Liquid chromatography coupled to molecular mass spectrometry (LC/MS) has been a standard technique since the early 1970s but liquid chromatography coupled to high‐precision isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC/IRMS) has only been available commercially since 2004. This development has, for the first time, enabled natural abundance and low enrichment δ¹³C measurements to be applied to individual analytes in aqueous mixtures creating new opportunities for IRMS applications, particularly for the isotopic study of biological molecules. A growing number of applications have been published in a range of areas including amino acid metabolism, carbohydrates studies, quantification of cellular and plasma metabolites, dietary tracer and nucleic acid studies. There is strong potential to extend these to new compounds and complex matrices but several challenges face the development of LC/IRMS methods. To achieve accurate isotopic measurements, HPLC separations must provide baseline‐resolution between analyte peaks; however, the design of current liquid interfaces places severe restrictions on compatible flow rates and in particular mobile phase compositions. These create a significant challenge on which reports associated with LC/IRMS have not previously focused. Accordingly, this paper will address aspects of chromatography in the context of LC/IRMS, in particular focusing on mixed‐mode separations and their benefits in light of these restrictions. It aims to provide an overview of mixed‐mode stationary phases and of ways to improve high aqueous separations through manipulation of parameters such as column length, temperature and mobile phase pH. The results of several practical experiments are given using proteogenic amino acids and nucleosides both of which are of noted importance in the LC/IRMS literature. This communication aims to demonstrate that mixed‐mode stationary phases provide a flexible approach given the constraints of LC/IRMS interface design and acts as a practical guide for the development of new chromatographic methods compatible with LC/IRMS applications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于聚倍半硅氧烷微球的亲水/反相混合模式色谱填料的制备与评价

亲水/反相混合模式色谱应用广泛,但pH使用范围有限,不利于碱性药物的分离。该工作利用巯基-烯基点击化学合成了单分散多孔的半胱氨酸改性乙烯基功能化聚甲基倍半硅氧烷(C-V-PMSQ)微球。元素分析表明半胱氨酸成功键合在微球表面。C-V-PMSQ微球为介孔结构,单分散性好且具有优良的化学稳定性。以几种常见的核苷和核酸碱基作为测试样品,考察其色谱保留行为,溶质的保留因子随流动相中水相含量的变化呈现典型的U型曲线,表明C-V-PMSQ固定相具有亲水/反相的双重保留特征。使用该固定相可以分离苯的同系物及一系列亲水性与疏水性化合物。另外在高碱性流动相条件下利用亲水和反相模式成功分离了中药苦参中的3种主要活性成分,表明它在分离碱性药物方面具有较大的优势。