Determination of the n‐octanol/water partition coefficients of weakly ionizable basic compounds by reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography with neutral model compounds

A strategy to utilize neutral model compounds for lipophilicity measurement of ionizable basic compounds by reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography is proposed in this paper. The applicability of the novel protocol was justified by theoretical derivation. Meanwhile, the linear relationships between logarithm of apparent n‐octanol/water partition coefficients (logK_ow′′) and logarithm of retention factors corresponding to the 100% aqueous fraction of mobile phase (logk_w) were established for a basic training set, a neutral training set and a mixed training set of these two. As proved in theory, the good linearity and external validation results indicated that the logK_ow′′–logk_w relationships obtained from a neutral model training set were always reliable regardless of mobile phase pH. Afterwards, the above relationships were adopted to determine the logK_ow of harmaline, a weakly dissociable alkaloid. As far as we know, this is the first report on experimental logK_ow data for harmaline (logK_ow = 2.28 ± 0.08). Introducing neutral compounds into a basic model training set or using neutral model compounds alone is recommended to measure the lipophilicity of weakly ionizable basic compounds especially those with high hydrophobicity for the advantages of more suitable model compound choices and convenient mobile phase pH control.     

Titania-coated monolithic silica as separation medium for high performance liquid chromatography of phosphorus-containing compounds

A method of preparing titania-coated monolithic silica stationary phase has been developed to achieve liquid chromatographic separation of phosphorus-containing compounds, which have recently been attracting increasing attention in biochemical research. The titania-coated silica columns exhibited efficient separation with low pressure drop, which is a typical feature of monolithic structures, and also possessed phospho-selectivity, which is a unique property of the titania surface. The material characteristics of titania-coated monolithic silica were examined, and then resin-clad columns were applied to the HPLC analysis of phosphorylated compounds. Highly efficient separation of phosphorylated substances indicated that the novel titania-coated monolithic silica column will find applications as a useful tool in the field of biochemistry, especially in post-genomic analyses.     

Analysis of basic compounds at high pH values by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RPLC) is currently the method of choice for the analysis of basic compounds. However, with traditional silica materials, secondary interactions between the analyte and residual silanols produce peak tailing which can negatively affect resolution, sensitivity, and reproducibility. In order to reduce these secondary interactions, which comprise ion exchange, hydrogen bonding, and London forces interactions, chromatographic analyses can be carried out at low or high pH values where silanol groups and basic compounds are mostly uncharged. The chromatographic behaviour of a particular bidentate stationary phase, Zorbax Extend C18, was studied with a set of basic and neutral compounds. Thanks to a higher chemical stability than traditional silica based supports, analyses were carried out with a high pH mobile phase, which represents a good alternative to the acidic mobile phases generally used to reduce ion exchange interactions. The performance of this bidentate stationary phase was also compared with that of other supports and it was proved that it is advantageous to work with high pH mobile phases when analyzing basic compounds.     

A review on solid phase microextraction-high performance liquid chromatography as a novel tool for the analysis of toxic metal ions

This paper reviews the practical applications of solid phase microextraction-High performance liquid chromatography in the analysis of toxic metal species as these are important contaminants and are carcinogenic. Their determination in formulations, in feed and food, and in complex environmental matrices (e.g., waste water and industrial effluents) often requires analytical methods capable of high efficiency, unique selectivity, and high sensitivity. Solid phase microextraction (SPME) requires low solvent consumption and is quick in use. SPME is used for extraction and online desorption of analytes with the mobile phase of HPLC and subsequent detection by UV, ICP-MS or ESI-MS as detectors. Different SPME-HPLC methods are summarized in this article to demonstrate the usefulness of this technique for metallic species of As, Cr, Pb, Hg and Se.     

Characterization of chromatographic supports for the analysis of basic compounds

Reversed‐phase liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC) has become a powerful and widely employed technique for the analysis of a great variety of substances and, in particular, of basic compounds. These compounds are present in various areas. In pharmacy, 80% of drugs are estimated to possess a basic function. Basic compounds can strongly interact with free silanol groups on the surface of the silica particles. These ion exchange interactions produce peak tailing which affects resolution, sensitivity, and reproducibility. For these reasons, many new stationary phases have been designed to reduce access to silanol groups. The main problem facing the analyst is to effectively select the best column for a particular type of separation. In order to characterize and evaluate the properties of these packings, several tests are proposed in the literature, which can be divided into two main categories: general tests and particular tests. In this work, a particular test was developed for the characterization of base deactivated RP‐HPLC stationary phases. For this purpose, a set of 14 basic test substances was selected and five different chromatographic supports were tested with three isocratic mobile phases. Furthermore, in order to undertake a complete characterization of these supports, batch and column reproducibility were also studied. Principal Component Analysis was applied to evaluate both the performance of the test compounds and of the stationary phases.     

Vortex‐ and CO2‐gas‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction with salt addition for the high‐performance liquid chromatographic determination of furanic compounds in concentrated juices and dried fruits

A novel microextraction method based on vortex‐ and CO₂‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction with salt addition for the isolation of furanic compounds (5‐hydroxymethyl‐2‐furaldehyde, 5‐methyl‐2‐furaldehyde, 2‐furaldehyde, 3‐furaldehyde, 2‐furoic and 3‐furoic acids) was developed. Purging the sample with CO₂ was applied after vortexing to enhance the phase separation and mass transfer of the analytes. The optimum extraction conditions were: extraction solvent (volume), propyl acetate (125 μL); sample pH, 2.4; vortexing time, 45 s; salt concentration, 25% w/v and purging time, 5 min. The analytes were separated using an ODS Hypersil C₁₈ column (250×4.6 mm i.d, 5 μm) under gradient flow. The proposed method showed good linearities (r² >0.999), low detection limits (0.08–1.9 μg/L) and good recoveries (80.7–122%). The validated method was successfully applied for the determination of the furanic compounds in concentrated juice (mango, date, orange, pomegranate, roselle, mangosteen and soursop) and dried fruit (prune, date and apricot paste) samples.     

High‐performance liquid chromatography separation of unsaturated organic compounds by a monolithic silica column embedded with silver nanoparticles

The optimization of a porous structure to ensure good separation performances is always a significant issue in high‐performance liquid chromatography column design. Recently we reported the homogeneous embedment of Ag nanoparticles in periodic mesoporous silica monolith and the application of such Ag nanoparticles embedded silica monolith for the high‐performance liquid chromatography separation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. However, the separation performance remains to be improved and the retention mechanism as compared with the Ag ion high‐performance liquid chromatography technique still needs to be clarified. In this research, Ag nanoparticles were introduced into a macro/mesoporous silica monolith with optimized pore parameters for high‐performance liquid chromatography separations. Baseline separation of benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, and pyrene was achieved with the theoretical plate number for analyte naphthalene as 36 000 m^?1. Its separation function was further extended to cis/trans isomers of aromatic compounds where cis/trans stilbenes were chosen as a benchmark. Good separation of cis/trans‐stilbene with separation factor as 7 and theoretical plate number as 76 000 m^?1 for cis‐stilbene was obtained. The trans isomer, however, is retained more strongly, which contradicts the long‐ established retention rule of Ag ion chromatography. Such behavior of Ag nanoparticles embedded in a silica column can be attributed to the differences in the molecular geometric configuration of cis/trans stilbenes.     

High‐performance liquid chromatography separation of phthalate acid esters with a MIL‐53(Al)‐packed column

In this study, a MIL‐53(Al)‐packed column was successfully prepared and firstly applied to separate phthalate acid esters (butyl benzyl phthalate, di‐n‐butyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, bis(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate, and dimethyl phthalate). Their baseline separation could be achieved within 12 min with a mobile phase of methanol/H₂O ratio at 92:8, and the temperature and flow rate was 40°C and 0.6 mL/min, respectively. The stacking effect and electrostatic force were the key factors in the separation. Moreover, there was a substantial linear relation between the peak height, peak area, and the analyte mass, and the relative standard deviations of retention time, peak height, peak area, and half peak width for five replicate separations of the analytes were within the ranges 0.31–0.88%, 0.72–1.52%, 1.33–1.53%, and 0.46–0.95%, respectively. The results of the calculation of the thermodynamics parameters showed that the separation of phthalate acid esters was controlled by both enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS).     

3‐D graphene‐supported mesoporous SiO2@Fe3O4 composites for the analysis of pesticides in aqueous samples by magnetic solid‐phase extraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography

Three‐dimensional graphene‐supported mesoporous silica@Fe₃O₄ composites (mSiO₂@Fe₃O₄‐G) were prepared by modifying mesoporous SiO₂‐coated Fe₃O₄ onto hydrophobic graphene nanosheets through a simple adsorption co‐condensation method. The obtained composites possess unique properties of large surface area (332.9 m²/g), pore volume (0.68 cm³/g), highly open pore structure with uniform pore size (31.1 nm), as well as good magnetic separation properties. The adsorbent (mSiO₂@Fe₃O₄‐G) was used for the magnetic solid‐phase extraction of seven pesticides with benzene rings in different aqueous samples before high‐performance liquid chromatography. The main parameters affecting the extraction such as adsorbent amount, volume of elution solvent, time of extraction and desorption, salt effect, oscillation rate were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, this method provided low limits of detection (S/N = 3, 0.525–3.30 μg/L) and good linearity (5.0–1000 μg/L, R² > 0.9954). Method validation proved the feasibility of the developed adsorbent, which has a high extraction efficiency and excellent enhancement performance for pesticides in this study. The proposed method was successfully applied to real aqueous samples, and satisfactory recoveries ranging from 77.5 to 113.6% with relative standard deviations within 9.7% were obtained.     

Capillary electrophoresis,high‐performance liquid chromatography,and thin‐layer chromatography analyses of phenolic compounds from rapeseed plants and evaluation of their antioxidant activity

Rapeseed plants, known for oil production, are also known to contain phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids and flavonoids, with potential antioxidant and anticancer activities. The separation and identification of 11 phenolic acids in rapeseed extracts (including leaves, flowers, Chinese seeds, Belgian seeds, and cake) by capillary electrophoresis were investigated. The results were compared with those obtained with high‐performance liquid chromatography and thin‐layer chromatography and showed that the capillary electrophoresis technique offers several advantages for the identification of phenolic compounds in various rapeseed extracts. The antioxidant activity of rapeseed extracts and reference compounds was evaluated using four different approaches, namely, 2,2′‐azinobis‐ (3‐ethylbenzohiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid assay, free radical 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl assay, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and the measurement of the total polyphenol content. The contents of total polyphenols in the tested extracts were ranging between 5.4 and 21.1% m/m and ranked as follows: Chinese seeds ? Belgian seeds ? Flowers ? Cake ? Leaves.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of some basic drugs on a n-octadecylphosphonic acid modified magnesia-zirconia stationary phase

The high-performance liquid chromatographic behavior of some basic drugs was studied on a n-octadecylphosphonic acid modified magnesia-zirconia (C18PZM) stationary phase. The effect of mobile phase variables such as methanol content, ionic strength, and pH on their chromatographic behavior was investigated. The retention mechanism of basic drugs on the stationary phase was elucidated. The results indicate that both hydrophobic and cation-exchange interactions contribute to solute retention under most chromatographic conditions. The inherent Br?nsted-acid sites and also the adsorbed Lewis base anionic buffer constituents on accessible ZM surface Lewis acid sites play a role in the retention of ionized solutes by cation-exchange interaction. However, especially at high mobile phase pH, the retention of basic drugs depends mainly on hydrophobic interactions between solutes and support. Separations of the basic drugs on the C18PZM phase by a predominantly reversed-phase retention mode were very promising. The mixed-mode retention feature on this phase, as a result of the adsorbed Lewis base anionic buffer constituents acting as sites for cation-exchange, could also be very useful, e.g. for enhancing the chromatographic selectivity of such analytes. The C18PZM seems to be an excellent alternative to silica-based reversed-phase stationary phase for the separation of strongly basic solutes.     

Electrospun titania sol–gel‐based ceramic composite nanofibers for online micro‐ solid‐phase extraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography

Titanium(IV) tetraisopropoxide was employed as a metal oxide sol–gel precursor to prepare ceramic composite nanofibers by the electrospinning system. To facilitate this process and obtain the desired nanofibers with higher aspect ratios and surface area, poly(vinylpyrrolidone) was added to the sol of titania. Four ceramic nanofibers sheets based on titania were prepared while each sheet contained different transition metals such as Fe‐Mn, Fe‐Ni, Fe‐Co, and Fe‐Mn‐Co‐Ni. The scanning electron microscope images showed good homogeneity for all the prepared ceramic composites with a diameter range of 100–250 nm. The sorption efficiency was investigated by a micro‐solid‐phase extraction setup in online combination with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the determination of naproxen and clobetasol. All the prepared composites exhibited comparable efficiencies for the desired analytes and the type of metal showed insignificant effect. For the selected composite with Fe‐Mn, the linearity of the analytes was in the range of 1–1000 μg/L and the limit of detection values were found to be 2 and 0.3 μg/L for naproxen and clobetasol, respectively. The developed method was extended to the analysis of urine and blood plasma samples and acceptable relative standard deviations were obtained at two concentration levels.     

Determination of moutan tannins by high‐performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Cortex Moutan (Radicis Cortex Moutan), the dried root bark of Paeonia moutan and P. spp., contains a series of water‐soluble tannins. With the eight components, 1 4,6‐di‐O‐GG (4,6‐di‐O‐galloyl‐D‐glucose), 2 1,2,3,6‐tetra‐O‐GG, 3 1,2,3,4,6‐penta‐O‐GG, 4 1,3,4,6‐tetra‐O‐GG, 5 3,4,6‐tri‐O‐GG, 6 1,3,6‐tri‐O‐GG, 7 3,6‐di‐O‐GG, and 8 1,2,6‐tri‐O‐GG, as marker substances, a rapid and efficient method of analysis based on HPLC and CE was developed. Using a phosphate eluent, a 5C18‐MS separating column, and a detection wavelength of 280 nm, HPLC was successfully used to analyze the eight constituents within 60 min. The analysis can be completed within 50 min, using the MEKC mode with a buffer composed of borate, SDS, and isopropanol, and a detection wavelength of 210 nm. The detection limit for the marker substances varied from 0.04 to 0.93 μg/mL for the HPLC method and 0.02 to 0.36 μg/mL for the CE method.     

Graphene oxide reinforced polymeric ionic liquid monolith solid‐phase microextraction sorbent for high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis of phenolic compounds in aqueous environmental samples

A graphene oxide reinforced polymeric ionic liquids monolith was obtained by copolymerization of graphene oxide doped 1‐(3‐aminopropyl)‐3‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)imidazolium 4‐styrenesulfonate monomer and 1,6‐di‐(3‐vinylimidazolium) hexane bihexafluorophosphate cross‐linking agent. Coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography, the monolith was used as a solid‐phase microextraction sorbent to analyze several phenolic compounds in aqueous samples. Under the optimized extraction and desorption conditions, linear ranges were 5–400 μg/L for 3‐nitrophenol, 2‐nitrophenol, and 2,5‐dichlorophenol and 2–400 μg/L for 4‐chlorophenol, 2‐methylphenol, and 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol (R² = 0.9973–0.9988). The limits of detection were 0.5 μg/L for 3‐nitrophenol and 2‐nitrophenol and 0.2 μg/L for the rest of the analytes. The proposed method was used to determine target analytes in groundwater from an industrial park and river water. None of the analytes was detected. Relative recoveries were in the range of 75.5–113%.     

Identification of l‐carnitine and its impurities in food supplement formulations by online column‐switching liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap mass spectrometry

The identification of impurities in l‐ carnitine by mass spectrometry is difficult because derivative reagents or ion pair reagents are usually used to separate and increase the retention of l‐ carnitine on the reversed‐phase column. In this study, four impurities including 3‐chloro‐2‐hydroxy‐N,N,N‐trimethylpropan‐1‐aminium, 3‐cyano‐2‐hydroxy‐N,N,N‐trimethylpropan‐1‐aminium, 3‐carboxy‐N,N,N‐trimethylprop‐2‐en‐1‐aminium, and 4‐chloro‐2,3,4‐trihydroxy‐N,N,N‐trimethylbutan‐1‐aminium were identified in l‐ carnitine and its tablets by using two‐dimensional column‐switching high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap mass spectrometry. The first column was a C₈ column at a flow rate of 0.15 mL/min; the detection wavelength was 220 nm. The second column was an Acclaim Q1 column using a gradient elution program with aqueous 30 mM ammonium acetate (pH 5.0) and acetonitrile as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The mass fragmentation patterns and structural assignments of impurities were studied, and the quantitative validation of three impurities was further investigated. The linearity (r ²) was found to be >0.99, with ranges from 0.2 to 50 ng/mL and 0.1 to 10 ng/mL. The method was used successfully for determination of impurities in five samples of l‐ carnitine and tablets.     

Synthesis of a stationary phase based on silica modified with branched octadecyl groups by Michael addition and photoinduced thiol–yne click chemistry for the separation of basic compounds

A novel silica‐based stationary phase with branched octadecyl groups was prepared by the sequential employment of the Michael addition reaction and photoinduced thiol–yne click chemistry with 3‐aminopropyl‐functionalized silica microspheres as the initial material. The resulting stationary phase denoted as SiO₂‐N(C18)₄ was characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, demonstrating the existence of branched octadecyl groups in silica microspheres. The separations of benzene homologous compounds, acid compounds and amine analogues were conducted, demonstrating mixed‐mode separation mechanism on SiO₂‐N(C18)₄. Baseline separation of basic drugs mixture was acquired with the mobile phase of acetonitrile/H₂O (5%, v/v). SiO₂‐N(C18)₄ was further applied to separate Corydalis yanhusuo Wang water extracts, and more baseline separation peaks were obtained for SiO₂‐N(C18)₄ than those on Atlantis dC18 column. It can be expected that this new silica‐based stationary phase will exhibit great potential in the analysis of basic compounds.     

Preparation of octadecyl modified column gels using heat-treated silicas and their retention behaviour in high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary The effect of silanol groups on three types of octadecylmodified column gels using heat-treated silicas by calcination has been studied by high-performance liquid chromatography. After heat-treating at 180°C, 500°C and 950°C, the silicas treated with octadecyldimethylchlorosilane were used for the measurement of physical and chemical analysis. From elemental carbon analysis data, the reactive silanol group concentrations, _OH(s), were determined to be 2.0 in the 180°C treated silica, 2.1 in the 500°C treated silica and 1.6 in the 950°C treated silica, respectively (original silica: mean pore diameter 116 Å, specific surface area 298 m²/g, pore volume 1.22 ml/g, particle size 5.0 m). The separation factors, , of pyridine versus phenol were measured to be 0.79 on 180°C treated silica, 0.91 on 500°C treated silica and 1.98 on 950°C treated silica, using acetonitrile-water mixtures as the eluent. And then, on the basis of the physico-chemical and chromatographic data, the three types of octadecyl modified column gels using heat-treated silicas by calcination have been compared.     

Enantioseparation of aldols by high‐performance liquid chromatography on polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phases that bear chlorinated substituents

Two families of aldols, obtained from the condensation of aromatic aldehydes with cyclohexanone or acetone (ten examples in each group), were analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography in normal phase elution mode on three polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phases of the Lux series, namely, Lux Cellulose‐2, Lux Cellulose‐4 and Lux Amylose‐2, which share the common feature of chlorinated substituents in the chiral selectors. Following simple optimization steps, the enantioseparation of all aldols derived from cyclohexanone was achieved and the highest values of separation factor (α, 1.32 < α < 2.20) and resolution (R_s, 4.5 < R_s <17.2) were observed on Lux Cellulose‐2, with the only exception of the 4‐nitro‐substituted derivative that was better resolved on Lux Cellulose‐4. On the contrary, Lux Amylose‐2 was the best choice for aldols derived from acetone and only specific analytes in this group were resolved on the cellulose‐based supports. A variable‐temperature study of selected compounds allowed us to determine thermodynamic parameters of the enantioseparation process, which was enthalpy‐controlled in all the cases except one.     

Extraction and preconcentration of formaldehyde in water by polypyrrole‐coated magnetic nanoparticles and determination by high‐performance liquid chromatography

In this study, a simple and rapid extraction method based on the application of polypyrrole‐coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as a magnetic solid‐phase extraction sorbent was successfully developed for the extraction and preconcentration of trace amounts of formaldehyde after derivatization with 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine. The analyses were performed by high‐performance liquid chromatography followed by UV detection. Several variables affecting the extraction efficiency of the formaldehyde, i.e., sample pH, amount of sorbent, salt concentration, extraction time and desorption conditions were investigated and optimized. The best working conditions were as follows: sample pH, 5; amount of sorbent, 40 mg; NaCl concentration, 20% w/v; sample volume, 20 mL; extraction time, 12 min; and 100 μL of methanol for desorption of the formaldehyde within 3 min. Under the optimal conditions, the performance of the proposed method was studied in terms of linear dynamic range (10–500 μg/L), correlation coefficient (R² ≥ 0.998), precision (RSD% ≤ 5.5) and limit of detection (4 μg/L). Finally, the developed method was successfully applied for extraction and determination of formaldehyde in tap, rain and tomato water samples, and satisfactory results were obtained.