Liquid-crystalline stationary phases for gas chromatography

Physico-chemical properties of new liquid-crystalline stationary phases (LCSPs) for gas chromatography are reviewed. The mechanism of chromatographic separation on liquid-crystalline stationary phases is discussed and examples of analyses of complex mixtures of organic compounds using capillary and packed columns are given.     

Selectivity optimization in green chromatography by gradient stationary phase optimized selectivity liquid chromatography

Stationary phase optimized selectivity liquid chromatography (SOSLC) is a promising technique to optimize the selectivity of a given separation by using a combination of different stationary phases. Previous work has shown that SOSLC offers excellent possibilities for method development, especially after the recent modification towards linear gradient SOSLC. The present work is aimed at developing and extending the SOSLC approach towards selectivity optimization and method development for green chromatography. Contrary to current LC practices, a green mobile phase (water/ethanol/formic acid) is hereby preselected and the composition of the stationary phase is optimized under a given gradient profile to obtain baseline resolution of all target solutes in the shortest possible analysis time. With the algorithm adapted to the high viscosity property of ethanol, the principle is illustrated with a fast, full baseline resolution for a randomly selected mixture composed of sulphonamides, xanthine alkaloids and steroids.     

The stationary phase capacity concept in elution liquid chromatography

The stationary-phase capacity concepts derived from linear capacity are discussed in connection with the needs of analytical, trace enrichment analysis and preparative chromatography and shown to be unsuited to them. A new concept based on stationary-phase saturation and called “available capacity” is proposed. It generalizes the ion-exchanger exchange capacity to adsorption and partition chromatography when the sampling solvent is the mobile phase. In linear elution chromatography the available capacity is proportional to the solute concentration C_o and to the analytical capacity factor k′ for given C_o and k′ values, it is independent of the nature of the solute. Furthermore, when both the concentrations and the analytical capacity factors (practically, for C_o ≥ 1 M and k′ ≥ 10, respectively) are high, the available capacity reaches a value roughly independent of C_o and k′, called “maximum available capacity” and related only to the number of sites available on the stationary phase. Numerous measurements were made in ion-exchange, adsorption, and reversed-phase chromatography. For solutes having a single polar functional group interacting with the stationary phase, the orders of magnitude of the maximum available capacity are 1.2 mmole g^?1 for a classical silica gel (Partisil 5 μm, 400m^?2 g^?1 with a water content of 2.7%); 1.8 mmole g^?1 for the Lichroprep RP 8 octyl bonded silica (11.6% carbon content); 3.8 mmole g^?1 for an anion exchanger resin of Dowex type.     

Nonextractable cyanopropyl polysiloxane stationary phases for capillary chromatography

Summary Crosslinkable cyanopropylpolysiloxane stationary phases have been difficult to produce because of steric effects of the large cyanopropyl groups or because of the interaction between the polar cyanopropyl groups and the groups added for crosslinking. Various polymers containing 50% to 90% cyanopropyl were synthesized which contained vinyl,p-tolyl, or 4-vinylphenyl groups for crosslinking. Thep-tolyl group was found to give satisfactory crosslinking if there were two such groups attached to one silicon atom.     

Separation of xylose and glucose on different silica-confined ionic liquid stationary phases

Xylose and glucose, as the main hydrolyzed products of plant cell wall, were separated by silica-confined ionic liquid (IL) stationary phases. Five different stationary phases were synthesized and characterized. Instead of using the traditional NH₂ column, the imidazolium stationary phases exhibit excellent retention to the xylose and glucose. The retention factor and resolution of the monosaccharides decreased with decreasing acetonitrile concentration. In addition, the effects of the IL cations and anions on the retention of xylose and glucose were studied and the adsorption behavior of these two monosaccharides on the stationary phases was investigated. Then the mobile phase and temperature were optimized to improve the performance for the separation of xylose and glucose.     

High temperature and highly selective stationary phases of ionic liquid bonded polysiloxanes for gas chromatography

Due to the special performance of “dual nature” and synthetic flexibility, ionic liquids (ILs) have been an attractive research subject of stationary phases for gas chromatography (GC). In this work, a novel ionic liquid (IL) bonded polysiloxane ([PSOMIM][NTf₂]) with anion of bis-trifluoromethanesulfonylimide (NTf₂⁻) was synthesized, and another one with chloride anion ([PSOMIM][Cl]) was also prepared for the purpose of comparison. The thermo-stability of the product was evaluated by thermogravimetric (TG) test and the result indicated that [PSOMIM][NTf₂] did not decompose slightly until 380 °C. Then the solvation behaviors of the ILs were characterized using solvation parameter model. Subsequently, [PSOMIM][NTf₂] and [PSOMIM][Cl] were used as stationary phases to prepare capillary columns for GC, respectively. The column efficiency of [PSOMIM][NTf₂] column was 4776 plates/m (k = 3.64 ± 0.08, naphthalene), and that of the other one was 3170 plates/m (k = 2.84 ± 0.11, naphthalene). The selectivity of the novel stationary phases for analytes, including Grob reagent, aromatic positional isomers was further evaluated. Furthermore, the chromatograms of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on [PSOMIM][NTf₂] column were compared with that on [PSOMIM][Cl] column. [PSOMIM][NTf₂] stationary phase also exerted good selectivity for fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and aromatic amines.     

Versatile ligands for high-performance liquid chromatography: An overview of ionic liquid-functionalized stationary phases

Ionic liquids (ILs), a class of unique substances composed purely by cation and anions, are renowned for their fascinating physical and chemical properties, such as negligible volatility, high dissolution power, high thermal stability, tunable structure and miscibility. They are enjoying ever-growing applications in a great diversity of disciplines.     

Evaporation of the liquid stationary phase in gas chromatography

Summary The theory of the evaporation of the liquid stationary phase is elaborated and experimentally verified. On the basis of this theory the role played by the losses in the amount of liquid phase present is quantitatively determined. General techniques are examined which minimize the losses; these techniques are based on saturating the incoming carrier gas with liquid phase vapours and raising the pressure of the carrier gas in the column, e.g. by connecting a capillary to the column outlet in order to offer resistance to the gas flow. The application of these techniques ensures stable performance of the gas chromatographic columns using a volatile liquid phase.     

Shape selectivity in embedded polar group stationary phases for liquid chromatography

Seven columns with embedded polar functionality were evaluated for use in liquid chromatography with a focus on molecular shape recognition. Tests based on Standard Reference Material 869b Column Selectivity Test Mixture for Liquid Chromatography and the Tanaka test indicate that only two of the phases are slightly shape selective at 20 °C. The shape recognition characteristics of the phases appear to be directly related to the density of the embedded polar ligands and the temperature of the separation, consistent with trends observed with conventional hydrocarbon phases.

Recent advances in gas chromatography for solid and liquid stationary phases containing metal ions

This review is devoted to the application of metal complexes as column packings and liquid stationary phases in gas chromatography. Particular attention is paid to the stationary phases with nitrogen-containing functional groups (e.g., amine and ketoimine) and β-diketonates on the modified silica surface. The review also concerns the results of the research on metallomesogenes and chiral stationary phases. The factors influencing the retention mechanism in complexation gas chromatography are discussed. Practical application of the metal chelate-containing chromatographic packings for analytical separation of organic substances is considered.     

Spectroscopy and the classification of liquid stationary phases in gas-liquid chromatography

Summary A table of data for acidity, basicity, polarity and London potential for stationary phases is given. These provide guidance in choosing a stationary phase for a given task from the 26 substances listed. The indices are calculated from infra-red shifts of 1-chlorobutane and the visible wavelength shifts of l₂ when they are dissolved in the stationary phases, from NMR estimates of acidity and basicity and from relative retention data. They replace the less reliable data of Burns and Hawkes. Methods of determining the indices are suggested that require only a gas chromatograph and can be applied by technicians with no specialized understanding of solution parameters. An attempt to add electron donoracceptor indices to the table was unsuccessful. A further table is given of the slopes of the log plots d(logt)/dC for use in extrapolating from one homologue to another on these stationary phases.     

Evaluation of smectic biphenylcarboxylate ester liquid-crystalline polysiloxane stationary phases for capillary column gas chromatography

Mesomorphic biphenylcarboxylate esters were coupled via flexible aliphatic hydrocarbon spacers to a polysiloxane backbone. The influence of spacer length, percent mesomorphic substitution, and crosslinking of the stationary phase on liquid-crystalline transition temperatures and on chromatographic performance was investigated. Unique selectivity and good efficiency over a wide temperature range for gum and cross-linked liquid-crystalline phases were demonstrated by the separation of various isomeric polycyclic aromatic compounds.     

Covalently bonded polysaccharide-modified stationary phase for per aqueous liquid chromatography and hydrophilic interaction chromatography

The mixed sulfated/methacryloyl polysaccharide derivative was prepared and successfully immobilized onto the surface of porous silica particles by polymerization. Polysaccharide derivative was calculated as 10.33% in the stationary phase prepared. The new stationary phase (PMSP) showed both hydrophilic interaction (HILIC) and per aqueous liquid chromatography (PALC) characteristics. The effects of column temperature, the water content, pH and ion strength of mobile phase on the retention time of test compounds in highly aqueous eluents were investigated to evaluate the PALC features of PMSP. The column efficiency is about 31,000 plates/m for benzoic acid in water/ACN (97/3, v/v) mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Compared with C18 column, the PMSP had shorter retention time for weak polar and non-polar compounds, but also showed stronger retention for strong polar compounds. It indicated that PALC was a suitable mode of chromatography as replacement of HILIC and complementarity of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC).     

Anion separations for liquid chromatography using propylpyridinium silica as the stationary phase

This work describes the characterization and potential applications of a silica-based anion-exchange phase prepared by a two-step modification process that incorporates a propylpyridinium group. The effects of pH and eluent concentration on anion separation were examined using 150 mm × 3.9 mm HPLC columns packed with the new phase. The mobile phase pH values ranged from 3.8 to 6.6 using phthalic acid/Tris solutions. The best separation was achieved using 2.5 mmol L⁻¹ phthalate/2.4 mmol L⁻¹ Tris solution at pH 4.2 as mobile phase with non-suppressed conductivity detection. The new stationary phase was used for the separation of some inorganic and organic anions showing good resolution. The stability of the silica-based anion exchange phase was also evaluated.Analytical curves, for concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 10 mg L⁻¹ for the inorganic anions chloride, nitrite, bromide and nitrate, showed good linear correlations (r > 0.998). The method was tested with certified rainwater samples. The measured and certified values were in good agreement, indicating that the new phase holds significant promise for the analysis of these anions in environmental samples.     

Triptycene-derived heterocalixarene: A new type of macrocycle-based stationary phases for gas chromatography

This work reports the investigation of a new triptycene-derived oxacalixarene(TDOC) as the stationary phase for gas chromatography(GC) with high-resolution performance for a wide range of analytes and isomers.The TDOC scaffold is composed of triptycene and 1,8-naphthyridine moieties,inherently differing from the conventional calixarenes in structures and properties.As a result,the TDOC column exhibited outstanding column efficiency of 5679 plates/m by n-dodecane at 120℃.It showed advantageous performance for separations of the mixtures with various analytes and achieved high resolution of diverse isomers(skeletal,positional and cis-/trans-isomers) from apolar to polar nature.Moreover,the TDOC column exhibited high thermal stability up to 310℃.To date,the TDOC-based materials have not been reported in chromatography.This work demonstrates the good potential of the triptycene-derived heterocalixarenes as a new class of stationary phases for chromatographic analyses.     

Synthesis of siloxane stationary phases for capillary gas chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography

A comparison is made between dichlorosilanes and cyclic siloxanes as starting materials in the synthesis of stationary phases for capillary gas chromatography (CGC) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Siloxanes containing one or more of the side groups methyl, vinyl, phenyl, and cyanoethyl in various ratios were synthesized and compared. These phases were characterized by chromatographic (gel permeation, GPC), spectroscopic (IR, ¹H NMR, ²⁹Si NMR), and thermal (DSC) methods. Coated fused silica columns were evaluated with respect to polarity, crosslinkability with several free-radical initiators, and thermal stability. A new liquid phase, 7% cyanoethyl, 7% phenyl, 1% vinyl methyl polysiloxane is shown to be more polar than OV-1701, more temperature stable, easily crosslinked and suitable for use in supercritical fluid chromatography.     

Dipyridine modified silica--a novel multi-interaction stationary phase for high performance liquid chromatography

A novel multi-interaction stationary phase based on 4,4'-dipyridine modified silica was synthesized and characterized, by infrared spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Mechanism involved in the chromatographic separation is the multi-interaction including π-π, hydrophobic, hydrogen-bonding, electrostatic and anion-exchange interactions. Based on these interactions, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phenols were successfully separated respectively in reversed-phase chromatography; inorganic and organic anions were also separated individually in anion-exchange chromatography by using the same column. Furthermore, the simultaneous separation of neutral organics, inorganic and organic anions was obtained on this stationary phase with the appropriate mobile phase. Therefore, such stationary phase has the characteristics of multi-interaction mechanism and multi-modal separation, and has potential application on complex samples.     

A multiple-function stationary phase based on perhydro-26-membered hexaazamacrocycle for high-performance liquid chromatography

A perhydro-26-membered hexaazamacrocycle-based silica (L¹GlySil) stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was prepared using 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane as coupling reagent. The structure of new material was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The chromatographic performance and retention mechanism of the new phase were evaluated in reversed-phase (RP) and normal-phase (NP) modes using different solute probes including aromatic compounds, organophosphorus pesticides, carbamate pesticides and phenols. The results showed that L¹GlySil was a sort of multimode-bonded stationary phase with excellent chromatographic properties. The new phase could provide various action sites for different solutes, such as hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding, π–π, dipole–dipole interactions and acid–base equilibrium. The presence of phenyl rings, secondary amino groups and alkyl linkers in the resulting material made it suitable for the separation of above-mentioned analytes by multimode retention mechanisms.     

High performance stationary phases for planar chromatography

The kinetic performance of stabilized particle layers, particle membranes, and thin films for thin-layer chromatography is reviewed with a focus on how layer characteristics and experimental conditions affect the observed plate height. Forced flow and pressurized planar electrochromatography are identified as the best candidates to overcome the limited performance achieved by capillary flow for stabilized particle layers. For conventional and high performance plates band broadening is dominated by molecular diffusion at low mobile phase velocities typical of capillary flow systems and by mass transfer with a significant contribution from flow anisotropy at higher flow rates typical of forced flow systems. There are few possible changes to the structure of stabilized particle layers that would significantly improve their performance for capillary flow systems while for forced flow a number of avenues for further study are identified. New media for ultra thin-layer chromatography shows encouraging possibilities for miniaturized high performance systems but the realization of their true performance requires improvements in instrumentation for sample application and detection.     

Cationic cyclodextrins chemically-bonded chiral stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography

Two covalently bonded cationic β-CD chiral stationary phases (CSPs) prepared by graft polymerization of 6^A-(3-vinylimidazolium)-6-deoxyperphenylcarbamate-β-cyclodextrin chloride or 6^A-(N,N-allylmethylammonium)-6-deoxyperphenylcarbamoyl-β-cyclodextrin chloride onto silica gel were successfully applied in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Their enantioseparation capability was examined with 12 racemic pharmaceuticals and 6 carboxylic acids. The results indicated that imidazolium-containing β-CD CSP afforded more favorable enantioseparations than that containing ammonium moiety under normal-phase HPLC. The cationic moiety on β-CD CSPs could form strong hydrogen bonding with analytes in normal-phase liquid chromatography (NPLC) to enhance the analytes’ retention and enantioseparations. In reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), the analytes exhibited their maximum retention when the pH of mobile phase was close to their pK_a value. Inclusion complexation with CD cavity and columbic/ionic interactions with cationic substituent on the CD rim would afford accentuated retention and enantioseparations of the analytes.