Intensification of formic acid from dilute aqueous solutions using menthol based hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents

The fermentation of biomass and organic waste streams is the primary source of formic acid production. Formic acid is the hydrogen energy carrier and is used as a hydrogen storage medium in fuel cells. Sustainable production of formic acid makes the hydrogen-fuel cell entirely environmentally friendly and ensures the long-term storage of renewable energy. Therefore, green, economic, and sustainable production and recovery of formic acid are highly demanded. In this study, it was aimed to use a new generation, green, easily prepared, and designer hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (HDES) for the removal of formic acid via reactive extraction. HDESs obtained by preparing binary mixtures of nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, dodecanoic acid (HBD), and menthol (HBA) were used as diluents; tri-n-octylamine (TOA) and Amberlite LA-2 (Amb.LA-2) were acted as extractants. Experiments were performed to investigate the effect of extractant type and concentration, initial acid concentration, and volume of the organic phase on extraction. Experimental data were presented by calculating the extraction efficiency (E%), distribution coefficient (D), and loading factor (Z). Results demonstrated that the extraction efficiency remained between 10 and 13% when performing physical extraction using M-NA, M-DA, and M-DDA, while TOA was diluted with the same HDESs reached around 90% and with Amb.LA-2 85%. The highest distribution coefficient was obtained that the organic phase consisting of TOA and M-DDA mixture was used. The efficiency of utilized HDESs was in the following order: M-DDA ?> ?M-DA ?> ?M-NA.     

Effect of phenyl sepharose ligand density on protein monomer/aggregate purification and separation using hydrophobic interaction chromatography

In the large-scale manufacturing and purification of protein therapeutics, multiple chromatography adsorbent lots are often required due to limited absorbent batch sizes or during replacement at the end of the useful column lifetime. Variability in the adsorbent performance from lot to lot should be minimal in order to ensure that consistent product purity and product quality attributes are achieved when a different lot or lot mixture is implemented in the process. Vendors of chromatographic adsorbents will often provide release specifications, which may possess a narrow range of acceptable values. Despite relatively narrow release specifications, the performance of the adsorbent in a given purification process could still vary from lot to lot. In this case, an alternative use test (one that properly captures the lot to lot variability) may be required to determine an acceptable range of variability for a specific process. In this work, we describe the separation of therapeutic protein monomer and aggregate species using hydrophobic interaction chromatography, which is potentially sensitive to adsorbent lot variability. An alternative use test is formulated, which can be used to rapidly screen different adsorbent lots prior to implementation in a large-scale manufacturing process. In addition, the underlying mechanism responsible for the adsorbent lot variability, which was based upon differences in protein adsorption characteristics, was also investigated using both experimental and modeling approaches.     

High-throughput protein precipitation and hydrophobic interaction chromatography: salt effects and thermodynamic interrelation

Salt-induced protein precipitation and hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) are two widely used methods for protein purification. In this study, salt effects in protein precipitation and HIC were investigated for a broad combination of proteins, salts and HIC resins. Interrelation between the critical thermodynamic salting out parameters in both techniques was equally investigated. Protein precipitation data were obtained by a high-throughput technique employing 96-well microtitre plates and robotic liquid handling technology. For the same protein-salt combinations, isocratic HIC experiments were performed using two or three different commercially available stationary phases-Phenyl Sepharose low sub, Butyl Sepharose and Resource Phenyl. In general, similar salt effects and deviations from the lyotropic series were observed in both separation methods, for example, the reverse Hofmeister effect reported for lysozyme below its isoelectric point and at low salt concentrations. The salting out constant could be expressed in terms of the preferential interaction parameter in protein precipitation, showing that the former is, in effect, the net result of preferential interaction of a protein with water molecules and salt ions in its vicinity. However, no general quantitative interrelation was found between salting out parameters or the number of released water molecules in protein precipitation and HIC. In other words, protein solubility and HIC retention factor could not be quantitatively interrelated, although for some proteins, regular trends were observed across the different resins and salt types.     

Changes in solvent exposure reveal the kinetics and equilibria of adsorbed protein unfolding in hydrophobic interaction chromatography

Hydrogen exchange has been a useful technique for studying the conformational state of proteins, both in bulk solution and at interfaces, for several decades. Here, we propose a physically based model of simultaneous protein adsorption, unfolding and hydrogen exchange in HIC. An accompanying experimental protocol, utilizing mass spectrometry to quantify deuterium labeling, enables the determination of both the equilibrium partitioning between conformational states and pseudo-first order rate constants for folding and unfolding of adsorbed protein. Unlike chromatographic techniques, which rely on the interpretation of bulk phase behavior, this methodology utilizes the measurement of a molecular property (solvent exposure) and provides insight into the nature of the unfolded conformation in the adsorbed phase. Three model proteins of varying conformational stability, α-chymotrypsinogen A, β-lactoglobulin B, and holo α-lactalbumin, are studied on Sepharose™ HIC resins possessing assorted ligand chemistries and densities. α-Chymotrypsinogen, conformationally the most stable protein in the set, exhibits no change in solvent exposure at all the conditions studied, even when isocratic pulse-response chromatography suggests nearly irreversible adsorption. Apparent unfolding energies of adsorbed β-lactoglobulin B and holo α-lactalbumin range from −4 to 3 kJ/mol and are dependent on resin properties and salt concentration. Characteristic pseudo-first order rate constants for surface-induced unfolding are 0.2–0.9 min⁻¹. While poor protein recovery in HIC is often associated with irreversible unfolding, this study documents that non-eluting behavior can occur when surface unfolding is reversible or does not occur at all. Further, this hydrogen exchange technique can be used to assess the conformation of adsorbed protein under conditions where the protein is non-eluting and chromatographic methods are not applicable.     

Modeling the effects of column packing quality and residence time changes on protein monomer/aggregate separation

The packing quality of chromatography columns used for the purification of protein therapeutics is routinely monitored to ensure consistent and reproducible performance. In this work, we used established chromatography models to determine the effect of column packing quality and fluid residence time on the separation of protein therapeutic monomer and aggregate species using a hydrophobic interaction chromatography adsorbent (Phenyl Sepharose Fast Flow). The relationship between the number of theoretical plates, fluid residence time, and column separation performance was quantified using modeling simulations. The simulations showed the separation depended on both the fluid residence time and the number of theoretical plates. However, when the number of theoretical plates was increased to ≥150, the simulations predicted that the separation performance of the column was not significantly improved. The approach described here could be used as a method to quantify acceptable height equivalent of a theoretical plate values for columns, and serve as a tool to understand how column packing quality impacts a given chromatographic separation prior to column scale-up, as well as during the monitoring of column lifetime in the manufacturing of large scale protein therapeutics.     

Temperature-dependence of the solubility of some acetanilide derivatives in several organic and aqueous solvents

The thermodynamic functions free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of solution, were evaluated from the solubility data of acetanilide, acetaminophen, and phenacetin, determined at several temperatures in water, octanol, isopropyl myristate, and chloroform. These three organic solvents mutually saturated with water, and finally, in cyclohexane. In the aqueous media, the solubility was determined at pH 7.4 and ionic strength 0.15?mol?L^?1. The excess free energy and the activity coefficients of the solutes were also determined. The solubility for acetanilide and phenacetin was higher in organic media such as octanol and chloroform than is those obtained in the aqueous media and cyclohexane, while for acetaminophen the solubility was higher in octanol than those obtained in the other solvents.     

Measurement and correlation of the solubility of MnSO4·H2O in ethanol + water + MgSO4·7H2O solutions

Data on the solubility of manganese sulphate monohydrate in water, and in aqueous alcohols is essential for salting-out crystallisation studies. The solubilities of the quaternary system MnSO₄·H₂O + MgSO₄·7H₂O + H₂O + EtOH were determined in the temperature range 293.2–323.2 K over the ethanol mole fraction range of 0.00–0.12. The solubility data were used for modelling with the modified extended electrolyte non-random two-liquid (NRTL) equation. The present extension uses ion-specific parameters instead of the electrolyte-specific NRTL binary interaction parameters. This approach has feasibility for many electrolytes and mixed aqueous solution systems in principle. The model was found to correlate the solubility data satisfactorily.     

Direct measurement of hydrophobic particle–bubble interactions in aqueous solutions by atomic force microscopy: Effect of particle hydrophobicity

Direct measurements of the interaction forces between a spherical silica particle and a small air bubble have been conducted in aqueous electrolyte solutions by using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The silica particle was hydrophobized with a silanating reagent, and the interaction forces were measured by using several particles with different surface hydrophobicities. In the measured force curves, a repulsive force was observed at large separation distances as the particle moved towards the bubble. The origin of the repulsive force was attributed to an electrostatic double-layer force because both the particle and bubble were negatively charged. After the repulsive force, an extremely long-range attractive force acted between the surfaces. These results indicate that the intervening thin water film between the particle and bubble rapidly collapsed, resulting in the particle penetrating the bubble.

The instability of the thin water film between the surfaces suggests the existence of an additional attractive force. By comparing the repulsive forces of the obtained force curves with the DLVO theory, the rupture thickness was estimated. The hydrophobicity of the particle did not significantly change the rupture thickness, whereas the pH of the solution is considered to be a critical factor.     

Dynamic control of protein conformation transition in chromatographic separation based on hydrophobic interactions: Molecular dynamics simulation

Conformational transitions of a protein in hydrophobic interaction based chromatography, including hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), and their impact on the separation process and performance were probed by molecular dynamics simulation of a 46-bead β-barrel coarse-grained model protein in a confined pore, which represents the porous adsorbent. The transition of the adsorbed protein from the native conformation to an unfolded one occurred as a result of strong hydrophobic interactions with the pore surface, which reduced the formation of protein aggregates. The conformational transition was also displayed in the simulation once an elution buffer characterized by weaker hydrophobicity was introduced to strip protein from pore surface. The discharged proteins that underwent conformational transition were prone to aggregation; thus, an unsatisfactory yield of the native protein was obtained. An orthogonal experiment revealed that in addition to the strengths of the protein–protein and protein–adsorbent hydrophobic interactions, the elution time required to reduce the above-mentioned interactions also determined the yield of native protein by HIC and RPLC. Stepwise elution, characterized by sequential reduction of the hydrophobic interactions between the protein and adsorbent, was presented as a dynamic strategy for tuning conformational transitions to favor the native conformation and reduce the formation of protein aggregates during the elution process. The yield of the native protein obtained by this dynamic operation strategy was higher than that obtained by steady-state elution. The simulation study qualitatively reproduced the experimental observations and provided molecular insight that would be helpful for designing and optimizing HIC and RPLC separation of proteins.     

High-throughput isotherm determination and thermodynamic modeling of protein adsorption on mixed mode adsorbents

The thermodynamic modeling of protein adsorption on mixed-mode adsorbents functionalized with ligands carrying both hydrophobic and electrostatic groups was undertaken. The developed mixed mode isotherm was fitted with protein adsorption data obtained for five different proteins on four different mixed mode adsorbents by 96-well microtitre plate high throughput batch experiments on a robotic workstation. The developed mixed mode isotherm was capable of describing the adsorption isotherms of all five proteins (having widely different molecular masses and iso-electric points) on the four mixed mode adsorbents and over a wide range of salt concentrations and solution pH, and provided a unique set of physically meaningful parameters for each resin-protein-pH combination. The model could capture the typically observed minimum in mixed mode protein adsorption and predict the precise salt concentration at which this minimum occurs. The possibility of predicting the salt concentration at which minimum protein binding occurs presents new opportunities for designing better elution strategies in mixed mode protein chromatography. Salt-protein interactions were shown to have important consequences on mixed mode protein adsorption when they occur. Finally, the mixed mode isotherm also gave very good fit with literature data of BSA adsorption on a different mixed mode adsorbent not examined in this study. Hence, the mixed mode isotherm formalism presented in this study can be used with any mixed mode adsorbent having the hydrophobic and electrostatic functional groups. It also provides the basis for detailed modeling and optimization of mixed mode chromatographic separation of proteins.     

Simultaneous separation and analysis of water- and fat-soluble vitamins on multi-modal reversed-phase weak anion exchange material by HPLC-UV

Several methods for the separation of vitamins on HPLC columns were already validated in the last 20 years. However, most of the techniques focus on separating either fat- or water-soluble vitamins and only few methods are intended to separate lipophilic and hydrophilic vitamins simultaneously. A mixed-mode reversed-phase weak anion exchange (RP-WAX) stationary phase was developed in our laboratory in order to address such mixture of analytes with different chemical characteristics, which are difficult to separate on standard columns. The high versatility in usage of the RP-WAX chromatographic material allowed a baseline separation of ten vitamins within a single run, seven water-soluble and three fat-soluble, using three different chromatographic modes: some positively charged vitamins are eluted in ion exclusion and ion repulsion modes whereas the negatively charged molecules are eluted in the ion exchange mechanism. The non-charged molecules are eluted in a classical reversed-phase mode, regarding their polarities. The method was validated for the vitamin analysis in tablets, evaluating selectivity, robustness, linearity, accuracy, and precision. The validated method was finally employed for the analysis of the vitamin content of some commercially available supplement tablets.     

Equilibrium solubility of 6-propyl-2-thiouracil in nine pure solvents: Determination,correlation, Hansen solubility parameter and thermodynamic properties

Investigation upon the solid–liquid equilibrium on solubility data of 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PLT) in pure organic solvents is essential for separation and purifying in industry process. In this work, PLT solubility in nine neat solvents was experimentally determined at 278.15 K–323.15 K under P = 0.1 MPa. These selected solvents were tetrahydrofuran(THF), acetone, acetonitrile,1-butanol,1-pentanol, 2-butanol, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate,1-propyl acetate, respectively. Experiment results showed that solubility was consistent with temperature and decreased according to the order: THF > acetone>1-butanol≈1-pentanol> 2-butanol > methyl acetate > ethyl acetate>1-propyl acetate > acetonitrile. Solvent effect and Hansen solubility parameter (HSP) were incited to explain dissolution rule on solute. Four thermodynamic models (modi?ed Apelblat model, Van't model, λh model and NRTL model) were adopted to correlate PLT solubility and provide good correlations on basis of RD, ARD and RMSD. In addition, thermodynamic properties (ΔH°, ΔS° and ΔG°) of PLT dissolution process in pure solvents were discussed and proved to be endothermic, entropically driven and non-spontaneous process.     

Influence of the sample-solvent on protein retention,mass transfer and unfolding kinetics in hydrophobic interaction chromatography

Typical mobile phase employed in hydrophobic interaction chromatography contains cosmotropic salts, which promote retention and simultaneously reduce the protein solubility in the mobile phase. To increase mass overloading in the separation process the protein can be dissolved in a sample-solvent with concentration of salt lower than that in the mobile phase or in salt free solutions. However, this methodology may cause band splitting and band deformation, which results in yield losses. In this study, these phenomena were analyzed based on the retention behavior of two model proteins, i.e., lysozyme and bovine serum albumin. Retention of these proteins was accompanied by strong band broadening originated from slow rates of mass transfer and/or of adsorption–desorption process involving the protein conformational changes. The mass transport resistances and unfolding kinetics were found to contribute to the sample-solvent effects. To avoid band deformations the process variables such as the salt concentration and temperature were adjusted in such a way that complete resolution between band profile of the sample-solvent and the protein was achieved. For the process simulation a dynamic model, which accounted for underlying kinetics was used. General guidelines of the process design were developed.     

Solubility measurement and modelling of 1,8-dinitronaphthalene in nine organic solvents from T = (273.15 to 308.15) K and mixing properties of solutions

The solubility of 1,8-dinitronaphthalene in acetonitrile, methanol, ethanol, trichloromethane, isopropanol, acetone, toluene, ethyl acetate and butyl alcohol were obtained experimentally at temperatures ranging from (273.15 to 308.15) K under 0.1 MPa by using a gravimetric method. The solubility of 1,8-dinitronaphthalene in those solvents increases with an increase in temperature. The solubility values decrease according to the following order: acetone > (acetonitrile, ethyl acetate) > trichloromethane > toluene > methanol > ethanol > isopropanol > butyl alcohol. Three models, the modified Apelblat equation, Wilson and NRTL were used to correlate the solubility of 1,8-dinitronaphthalene in the solvents studied. The calculated solubility by the modified Apelblat equation provides better agreement than those evaluated by the other two models. The regressed results via the three models are all acceptable for the solubility of 1,8-dinitronaphthalene in the selected solvents. Furthermore, the mixing Gibbs energy, mixing enthalpy, and mixing entropy for per 1 mol of mixture of 1,8-dinitronaphthalene and solvents were calculated based on the Wilson model. The dissolution process of 1,8-dinitronaphthalene in the selected solvents is spontaneous and exothermic.     

Conformational transition of polyelectrolytes in mixed solvent by dielectric spectroscopy: Electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions

We studied conformational transition of poly(acrylic acid)‐graft‐dodecyl (PAA‐g‐dodecyl), and PAA‐graft‐poly(ethylene oxide)‐graft‐dodecyl (PAA‐g‐PEO‐g‐dodecyl) molecules in DMF/H₂O solvent by dielectric analysis method utilizing a double‐layer polarization theory. In addition to the hydrophobic interaction which has been demonstrated to be vital for their conformational transition with water content, it is confirmed that the electrostatic interaction is crucial. For PAA‐g‐dodecyl molecules, at a critical value of water content, a peak value of correlation length is reached originating from the delicate balance between electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. For PAA‐g‐PEO‐g‐dodecyl molecules, chains conformation is mainly determined by electrostatic interaction over the entire range of water content due to the low content of dodecyl groups. Meanwhile, H‐bond associative interaction prevents the dissociation of free carboxyl groups over the range of lower water content, thus their stretched transition moves to higher water content. Our results provide the underlying insights needed to understand solvent effect on the conformational transition for polyelectrolytes with hydrophobic groups. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1716–1724     

Evaluation and comparison of n‐alkyl chain and polar ligand bonded stationary phases for protein separation in reversed‐phase liquid chromatography

Protein retention is very sensitive to the change of solvent composition in reversed‐phase liquid chromatography for so called “on–off” mechanism, leading to difficulty in mobile phase optimization. In this study, a novel 3‐chloropropyl trichlorosilane ligand bonded column was prepared for protein separation. The differences in retention characteristics between the 3‐chloropropyl trichlorosilane ligand bonded column and n‐alkyl chain modified (C₂, C₄, C₈) stationary phases were elucidated by the retention equation . Retention parameters (a and c) of nine standard proteins with different molecular weights were calculated by using homemade software. Results showed that retention times of nine proteins were similar on four columns, but the 3‐chloropropyl trichlorosilane ligand bonded column obtained the lowest retention parameter values of larger proteins. It meant that their retention behavior affected by acetonitrile concentration would be different due to lower |c| values. More specifically, protein elution windows were broader, and retentions were less sensitive to the change of acetonitrile concentration on the 3‐chloropropyl trichlorosilane ligand bonded column than that on other columns. Meanwhile, the 3‐chloropropyl trichlorosilane ligand bonded column displayed distinctive selectivity for some proteins. Our results indicated that stationary phase with polar ligand provided potential solutions to the “on–off” problem and optimization in protein separation.     

The solubility of bosentan in aqueous-2-propanol mixtures at several temperatures,measurement and data correlation

ABSTRACT

The solubilities of bosentan (BST) in binary aqueous mixtures of 2-propanol at temperatures ranging from 293.15 to 313.15 K were determined using a shake-flask method. The produced data were modelled with the Jouyban-Acree-van’t Hoff model and difference between the predicted data and experimental ones were illustrated by percent average relative deviations (%ARD). Moreover, the thermodynamic functions of dissolution for BST in the aqueous 2-propanol solutions were computed which suggest that the dissolution process is endothermic and not spontaneous.     

反相高效液相色谱法同时测定三七药材中4种皂苷的含量

建立了以0．02％磷酸-乙腈为流动相，梯度洗脱反相高效液相色谱同时测定中药材三七中三七皂苷R1、人参皂苷Rg1、Rb1和Rd 4种皂苷的新方法。R1、Rg1、Rb1和Rd 4种皂苷的加样回收率分别为89．54％、90．08％、82．82％与84．46％；线性范围分别为0．244-6．110、0．820-20．510、0．396-9．890与0．260-6．500μg。测定了不同规格、部位和来源的三七药材里的4种皂苷R1、Rg1、Rb1和Rd。方法准确可靠，结果稳定，重现性好，可用于三七及其制剂的质控。     

A linear relationship between partition ratio and composition of a binary mobile phase in reversed-phase liquid chromatography using chemically bonded stationary phases

A simple linear relationship which enables the effect of the composition of a binary mobile phase on the retention of a solute to be assessed in reverse phase liquid chromatography using a bonded stationary phase has been derived. The equations have been tested using published experimental data.