Insights into the Retention Mechanism on a Pentafluorophenylpropylsiloxane-Bonded Silica Stationary Phase (Discovery HS F5) in RP-LC

The solvation parameter model is used to elucidate the retention mechanism of neutral compounds on the pentafluorophenylpropylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase (Discovery HS F5) with methanol-water and acetonitrile-water mobile phases containing from 10 to 70% (v/v) organic solvent. The dominant factors that increase retention are solute size and electron lone pair interactions while polar interactions reduce retention. A comparison of the retention mechanism with an octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase based on the same silica substrate and with a similar bonding density (Discovery HS C18) provides additional insights into selectivity differences for the two types of stationary phase. The methanol-water solvated pentafluorophenylpropylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase is more cohesive and/or has weaker dispersion interactions and is more dipolar/polarizable than the octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase. Differences in hydrogen-bonding interactions contribute little to relative retention differences. For mobile phases containing more than 30% (v/v) acetonitrile selectivity differences for the pentafluorophenylpropylsiloxane-bonded and octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phases are no more than modest with differences in hydrogen-bond acidity of greater importance than observed for methanol-water. Below 30% (v/v) acetonitrile selectivity differences are more marked owing to incomplete wetting of the octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase at low volume fractions of acetonitrile that are not apparent for the pentafluorophenylpropylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase. Steric repulsion affects a wider range of compounds on the octadecylsiloxane-bonded than pentafluorophenylpropylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase with methanol mobile phases resulting in additional selectivity differences than predicted by the solvation parameter model. Electrostatic interactions with weak bases were unimportant for methanol-water mobile phase compositions in contrast to acetonitrile-water where ion-exchange behavior is enhanced, especially for the pentafluorophenylpropylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase. The above results are compatible with a phenomenological interpretation of stationary phase conformations using the haystack, surface accessibility, and hydro-linked proton conduit models.     

Tuning retention and selectivity in reversed-phase liquid chromatography by using functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Aim of this work was to explore the possibility of retention and selectivity tuning in reversed-phase liquid chromatography by means of chemically modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). These were synthesized by derivatizing pristine MWCNTs with amino-terminated alkyl chains containing polar embedded groups. A novel hybrid material based on functionalized MWCNTs (MWCNTs-R-NH₂) was prepared, characterized and tested. The idea was to design a mixed-mode separation medium basing its sorption properties on the peculiar characteristics of MWCNTs combined with the chemical interactions provided by the functional chains introduced on the nanotube skeleton. MWCNTs-R-NH₂ were easily grafted to silica microspheres by gamma radiation (using a ⁶⁰Co source) in the presence of polybutadiene as the linking agent. The composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) analysis in terms of structural morphology, surface area and porosity. The MWCNTs-R-NH₂ sorbent was tested as stationary phase. The reversed-phase behaviour was first proved by analysis of alkylbenzenes, while the key role of CNT derivatization in addressing the selectivity/affinity towards the solutes was evidenced by testing three classes of analytes, viz. barbiturates, steroid hormones and alkaloids. These compounds, with different molecular structure and polarity, were here analysed for the first time on CNT-based LC stationary phases. The behaviour of the novel sorbent was compared in terms of retention capability and resolution with that observed using unmodified MWCNTs, pointing out the mixed-mode characteristics of the MWCNTs-R-NH₂ material. The same test mixtures were analysed also on a conventional mono-modal separation sorbent (C18) to highlight the particular behaviour of the (derivatized)MWCNTs-based stationary phases. The novel material showed better performance in separation of polar compounds, i.e. barbiturates and alkaloids, than the unmodified MWCNTs and than the C18 column. Results showed that MWCNT functionalization is powerful to modulate retention/selectivity in reversed-phase liquid chromatography.     

Retention mechanism of the multifunctional solute on columns with different coverage densities using highly aqueous reversed‐phase conditions

A series of 11 homemade octadecyl bonded phases with different coverage densities were tested to determine the influence of the stationary phase on the retention in highly aqueous mobile phases. The concentrations of the organic modifiers (methanol and ACN) were in the range of 0–20%_v/v. The coverage density of bonded ligands and the presence of the end‐capping have strong influence on the solute retention. Amoxicillin (AMO) was chosen as the test compound. Dual properties of AMO, which contain hydrophobic skeleton and polar groups (amino, hydroxyl and carbonyl), cause irregular changes of the retention over the stationary phase hydrophobicity and silanol activity at given mobile phase composition. Presented data show that application of non‐standard low coverage density C18 phases allow to determine AMO in the RPLC condition with high retention.     

Comparison of the Separation Characteristics of the Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Stationary Phases XBridge C8 and Phenyl and XTerra Phenyl in RP-LC

Differences in the system constants of the solvation parameter model and retention factor correlation plots for varied solutes are used to study the retention mechanism on XBridge C₈, XBridge Phenyl and XTerra Phenyl stationary phases with acetonitrile–water and methanol–water mobile phases containing from 10 to 70% (v/v) organic solvent. These stationary phases are compared with XBridge C₁₈ and XBridge Shield RP₁₈ characterized in an earlier report using the same protocol. The XBridge stationary phases are all quite similar in their retention properties with larger difference in absolute retention explained by differences in cohesion and the phase ratio, mainly, and smaller changes in relative retention (selectivity) by the differences in individual system constants and their variation with mobile phase type and composition. None of the XBridge stationary phases are selectivity equivalent but XBridge C₁₈ and XBridge Shield RP₁₈ have similar separation properties, likewise so do XBridge C₈ and XBridge Phenyl, while the differences between the two groups of two stationary phases is greater than the difference within either group. The limited range of changes in selectivity is demonstrated by the high coefficient of determination (>0.98) for plots of the retention factors for varied compounds on the different XBridge phases with the same mobile phase composition.     

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.     

In-situ carbonizing of coal pitch on the surface of silica sphere as quasi-graphitized carbon stationary phase for liquid chromatography

A novel chromatography stationary phase with a quasi-graphitized carbon modified shell has been developed. Coal pitch was directly carbonized on the surface of porous silica with in-situ carbonization. The carbonized coal pitch coating exhibits some degree of graphitization with a 78 nm-thick layer on the surface of silica and a 0.5 nm-thick layer on the inner surface of the mesopores. Based on the special structure of the graphitized carbon coating, the novel stationary phase can provide multiple interactions such as hydrophobic interaction, π-π interaction and dipole-dipole interaction. The novel composite material exhibited unique separation selectivity and excellent separation efficiency for polar compounds, including imidazoles, nucleosides and pesticides. Besides, the packed column also exhibited great repeatability with the RSDs of the retention time of nucleosides between 0.07%-0.50% (n = 5). Finally, satisfied result was achieved in the separation of fullerenes on the new column, suggesting the great potential in the industrial-scale purification of fullerenes.     

Elution order in gas chromatography

The retention behavior of a heterogeneous group of solutes has been examined on seven different stationary phases under isothermal and temperature-programmed conditions. Both ΔH_v (enthalpy of solute vaporization from the stationary phase) and ΔS_v (entropy of solute vaporization from the stationary phase) values were determined for each solute – stationary phase combination under isothermal conditions. Both program rate and carrier gas velocity were shown to affect solute elution order. Unless these and other experimental factors discussed are controlled, column equivalency studies based on solute elution order have dubious value.     

Factors affecting the reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon isomers

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) on C₁₈ stationary phases provides excellent selectivity for the separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Recent studies have shown that several factors affect selectivity for the LC separation of PAH including phase type (monomeric or polymeric), pore diameter and surface area of the silica substrate, and surface density of the C₁₈ ligands. In this paper the separation of eleven PAH isomers of molecular weight 278 is used to further illustrate the effect of stationary phase characteristics and shape of the solute (length-to-breadth ratio, L/B) on retention and selectivity. Only polymeric C₁₈ phases with a high C₁₈ surface coverage provided separation of all eleven isomers and the elution order of these isomers generally followed increasing L/B values. The effect of solute nonplanarity on reversed-phase LC retention was investigated on both monomeric and polymeric phases using a series of planar and nonplanar PAH pairs. For each solute pair, the nonplanar solute eluted earlier than the planar solute, the largest selectivity factors being observed on the C₁₈ phase with the highest percent carbon load. Based on these studies, a model is proposed to describe the retention of PAH on polymeric C₁₈ phases.     

Preparation and evaluation of 1,3-alternate 25,27-bis-(pentafluorobenzyloxy)-26,28-bis-(3-propyloxy)-calix[4]arene-bonded silica gel high performance liquid chromatography stationary phase

A 1,3-alternate 25,27-bis-(pentafluorobenzyloxy)-26,28-bis-(3-propyloxy)-calix[4]arene-bonded silica gel stationary phase (CalixBzF₁₀) was synthesized, structurally characterized, and used as a selector in liquid chromatography. The selectivity study of this phase was done by using fluorine-containing compounds (fluorobenzenes, fluoro-pyrimidine bases), as well as non-fluorinated analytes (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, sulfonamides, xanthines and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons). The effects of organic modifiers on the retention of various compounds possessing basic, acidic and neutral characteristics were studied. It was shown that only basic analytes exhibit a “U-shaped” retention profile and that retention depends on the mobile phase pH. Selectivity comparisons of the novel phase vs. the 1,3-alternate 25,27-bis-(benzyloxy)-26,28-bis-(3-propyloxy)-calix[4]arene phase (CalixBz) were performed. The retention mechanism is also discussed. The results indicate that the fluorinated calixarene stationary phase behaves like reversed-phase packing material; however, fluorine–fluorine interactions seem to be involved in the separation process of fluorine-containing analytes.     

Ionisation Effects in the Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatographic Separation of Thyromimetic Iodoamino Acids

Abstract

The influence of ionisation equilibria on the retention behaviour of iodoamino acids and related compounds on micro-particulate octadecylsilica supports has been examined. The chromatographic data for these ionogenic solutes have been discussed in terms of current concepts for reversible solvophobic interactions with the hydrocarbonaceous stationary phase. This treatment permits the conditional effects of the mobile phase composition and pH on solute retention to be assessed and the relationship between the molecular surface area of a solute and its retention to a non polar stationary phase evaluated.     

Selective separation and purification of highly polar basic compounds using a silica-based strong cation exchange stationary phase

Compared to moderately and weakly hydrophilic bases, highly polar basic compounds are even more difficult to separate due to their poor retention in reversed phase (RP) mode. This study described the successful applications of a strong cation exchange (SCX) stationary phase to achieve symmetric peak shape, adequate retention and selectivity in the separation of very polar basic compounds. Salt and acetonitrile concentrations were adjusted to optimize the separation. Good correlations (R² = 0.998–1.000) between the logarithm of the retention factor and the logarithm of salt or acetonitrile concentration were obtained. Gradients generated by changing salt or acetonitrile concentration were compared for the analysis of different highly polar bases. Although all of the analytes were eluted more quickly with an acetonitrile gradient, the effect of the gradients tested on peak width and peak shape varied with respect to analyte. In addition, the effects of different types of cation and anion additives were also investigated. After separation parameters were acquired, the SCX-based method was utilized to analyze highly hydrophilic alkaloids from Scopolia tangutica Maxim with high separation efficiency (plate numbers > 32,000 m⁻¹). Concurrently, one very polar alkaloid fraction was purified with symmetric peak shape using the current method. Our results suggest that SCX stationary phase can be used as an alternative to RP stationary phase in the analysis and purification of highly hydrophilic basic compounds.     

Thermodynamic study of alkanes,alkylbenzenes and chloroalkanes retention on alkyl- and cyanoalkyl-bonded stationary phases in supercritical fluid chromatography

Summary The SFC retention behaviour of alkanes, alkylbenzenes and chloroalkane was investigated by studying solute/mobile phase/stationary phase interaction enthalpies. The methylene group and functional group contributions to solute retention were calculated in pure CO₂. It was shown that hydrophobic interactions mainly control retention in pure CO₂. Interaction between the polar extremity of C₁₀CN ligands and residual OH groups on the silica surface was suggested as an explanation of the retention obtained on such ligands. This was confirmed by experiments carried out with modified CO₂.     

Investigation of polar stationary phases for the separation of sympathomimetic drugs with nano-liquid chromatography in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography mode

In this study, the retention and selectivity of a mixture of basic polar drugs were investigated in hydrophilic interaction chromatographic conditions (HILIC) using nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC). Six sympathomimetic drugs including ephedrine, norephedrine, synephrine, epinephrine, norepinephrine and norphenylephrine were separated by changing experimental parameters such as stationary phase, acetonitrile (ACN) content, buffer pH and concentration, column temperature. Four polar stationary phases (i.e. cyano-, diol-, aminopropyl-silica and Luna HILIC, a cross-linked diol phase) were selected and packed into fused silica capillary columns of 100 μm internal diameter (i.d.). Among the four stationary phases investigated a complete separation of the all studied compounds was achieved with aminopropyl silica and Luna HILIC stationary phases only. Best chromatographic results were obtained employing a mobile phase composed by ACN/water (92/8, v/v) containing 10 mM ammonium formate buffer pH 3. The influence of the capillary temperature on the resolution of the polar basic drugs was investigated in the range between 10 and 50 °C. Linear correlation of ln k vs. 1/T was observed for all the columns; ΔH° values were negative with Luna HILIC and positive with aminopropyl- and diol-silica stationary phases, demonstrating that different mechanisms were involved in the separation.To compare the chromatographic performance of the different columns, Van Deemter curves were also investigated.     

Linear Solvation Energy Relationships in the Determination of Specificity and Selectivity of Stationary Phases

The retention of fifty structurally different compounds has been studied using linear solvation energy relationships. Investigations were performed with the use of six various stationary phases with two mobile phases (50/50?% v/v methanol/water and 50/50?% v/v acetonitrile/water). Packing materials were home-made and functionalized with octadecyl, alkylamide, cholesterol, alkyl-phosphate and phenyl molecules. This is the first attempt to compare all of these stationary phases synthesized on the same silica gel batch. Therefore, all of them may be compared in more complex and believable way, than it was performed earlier in former investigations. The phase properties (based on Abraham model) were used to the classification of stationary phases according to their interaction properties. The hydrophilic system properties s, a, b indicate stronger interactions between solute and mobile phase for most of the columns. Both e and v cause greater retention as a consequence of preferable interactions with stationary phase by electron pairs and cavity formation as well as hydrophobic bonds. However, alkyl-phosphate phase has different retention properties, as it was expressed by positive sign of s coefficient. It may be concluded that most important parameters influencing the retention of compounds are volume and hydrogen bond acceptor basicity. The LSER coefficients showed also the dependency on the type of organic modifier used as a mobile phase component.     

System Maps for XTerra MS C18: Effect of Solvent Type on Selectivity in Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography

The solvation parameter model is used to establish the contribution of cohesion, dipole-type and hydrogen-bonding interactions to the retention mechanism on an XTerra MS C₁₈ stationary phase with acetonitrile-water, methanol-water and tetrahydrofuran-water mobile phases containing from 10 to 70% (v/v) organic solvent. Solute size and electron lone pair interactions are responsible for retention while dipole-type and hydrogen-bonding interactions result in lower retention. The volume fraction of water in the mobile phase plays a dominant role in the retention mechanism. However, the change in values of the system constants of the solvation parameter model cannot be explained entirely by assuming the principle role of the organic solvent is to act as a diluent for the mobile phase. Selective solvation of the stationary phase by the organic solvent and the ability of the organic solvent to extract water into the stationary phase, and/or the absorption of water-organic solvent complexes by the stationary phase, are important in accounting for the details revealed about the retention mechanism by the solvation parameter model. A qualitative picture of the above solvent effects, compatible with current knowledge of solvent and stationary phase properties, is presented.     

Preparation of Monolithic Imprinted Stationary Phase for Clenbuterol by In Situ Polymerization and Application in Biological Samples Pretreatment

A clenbuterol (CLB) molecule-imprinted monolithic stationary phase (MIMSP) with specific recognition for CLB and some other ??₂-adrenergic receptor agonists was prepared by in situ polymerization technique utilizing methacrylic acid as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as a cross-linking reagent, and low polar solvents (toluene and dodecanol) as porogenic solvents. The optimal polymerization conditions were as follows: the molar ratio of template:monomer:initiator was 5:20:1, EDMA was 85% (v/v) in the total volume of monomer and EDMA, and toluene was 18% (v/v) in the total mixed porogen. The selectivity of the stationary phase for CLB and other ??₂-adrenergic receptor agonists was evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography. Scatchard analysis was employed to explore the recognition mechanism. Then the CLB-MIMSP was used as a solid phase extraction (SPE) stationary phase for concentration and purification of CLB from pig liver samples. The results showed that the obtained CLB-MIMSP possessed high selectivity towards CLB and moderate selectivity towards some other ??₂-adrenergic receptor agonists with characteristics of easy-made. The limit of detection was 10 ng g^?1, and recoveries of CLB were 99.16?C113.06% with RSD 4.55?C11.81% for the spiked pig liver samples. The CLB-MIMSP could be a promising SPE absorbent in CLB biological sample pretreatment.     

Automated screening of reversed‐phase stationary phases for small‐molecule separations using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry

There are various reversed‐phase stationary phases that offer significant differences in selectivity and retention. To investigate different reversed‐phase stationary phases (aqueous stable C₁₈, biphenyl, pentafluorophenyl propyl, and polar‐embedded alkyl) in an automated fashion, commercial software and associated hardware for mobile phase and column selection were used in conjunction with liquid chromatography and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer detector. A model analyte mixture was prepared using a combination of standards from varying classes of analytes (including drugs, drugs of abuse, amino acids, nicotine, and nicotine‐like compounds). Chromatographic results revealed diverse variations in selectivity and peak shape. Differences in the elution order of analytes on the polar‐embedded alkyl phase for several analytes showed distinct selectivity differences compared to the aqueous C₁₈ phase. The electron‐rich pentafluorophenyl propyl phase showed unique selectivity toward protonated amines. The biphenyl phase provided further changes in selectivity relative to C₁₈ with a methanolic phase, but it behaved very similarly to a C₁₈ when an acetonitrile‐based mobile phase was evaluated. This study shows the value of rapid column screening as an alternative to excessive mobile phase variation to obtain suitable chromatographic settings for analyte separation.     

Preparation and application of novel zwitterionic monolithic column for hydrophilic interaction chromatography

A novel zwitterionic hydrophilic porous monolithic stationary phase was prepared based on the thermal‐initiated copolymerization of N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐(3‐methacryl‐amidopropyl)‐N‐(3‐(sulfopropyl)ammonium betaine and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. A typical hydrophilic separation mechanism was observed at a highly organic mobile phase (ACN >60%) on this optimized zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) monolithic stationary phase. Good permeability, stability, and column efficiency were observed on the final monolithic column. Additionally, a weak electrostatic interaction for charged analytes was confirmed in analysis of six benzoic acids by studying the influence of mobile phase pH and salt concentration on their retention behaviors on the obtained zwitterionic HILIC monolithic column. The optimized zwitterionic HILIC monolith exhibited good selectivity for a range of polar test analytes.     

Auswahl von Phasensystemen in der Lösungs-, Adsorptions- und Ionenaustausch-Chromatographie

In contrast to GC selectivity in LC is determined by the composition of both the stationary as well as the mobile phase. Therefore the main problem in LC results in selecting an appropriate phase system for the given separation problem. The selectivity factorα _ijis defined as the ratio of the capacity factors k′ _i k′_jof two solutes, which corresponds to the ratio of their distribution coefficients ^c K _i, ^cK_j. In LLC α _ijis determined by the relative solubility of the solutes in the two immiscible phases, which were prepared from binary or ternary liquid-liquid-systems. Secondary effects on retention are caused by the support. Two variations exist (LLC, Reverse-Phase-LLC) which differ in whether the polar phase is used as stationary or mobile phase, resp. In LSC the same phase variation is possible. Using a polar support and an unpolar solvent α _ijis governed by the relative strength of interactions between the solute molecules and the surface of the support. In Reverse-Phase-LSC, however, using an unpolar support and a polar solvent, these interactions are very weak and α _ijis mainly determined by the solubility of the solutes in the mobile phase. In IEC α _ijdepends on a set of parameters such as the type of ion-exchange matrix, its pore structure and its degree of crosslinking, resp., the type, surface concentration and distribution of functional groups, the type of the eluent ion, its concentration, the ionic strength and pH-value of the eluent, the temperature. Different methods have been developed in order to calculate the distribution coefficients of solutes for a given phase system.