Evaluation of the influence of residual silanol groups on the total retention in reversed-phase chromatography

It was demonstrated that the characteristics of stationary phases for reversed-phase chromatography can be compared by analyzing the retention of several compounds belonging to a homologous series during elution with one and the same composition of mobile phase or the retention of a nonpolar compound during elution with several mobile phases of different compositions. The slope of the corresponding linear correlations can be used to characterize the hydrophobicity of the columns (stationary phases) under study. To analyze the polar interactions between the sorbate and the stationary phase it is advantageous to study the retention of a polar substance in several (at least in two) mobile phases of different compositions. The degree of displacement of the linear correlation relative to that for nonpolar substances can be considered a measure of the influence of residual silanol groups on the total retention characteristics.     

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.     

A new method for assessing the effect of residual silanol groups on total retention in reversed-phase HPLC

A new approach is proposed to assess the effect of residual silanol groups (hydrophilicity) on the retention of polar substances in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It is shown that the numerical characteristic of the relative position of trend lines in the coordinates logk(B) vs. logk(A) of the relative retention parameters (at different mobile phase compositions) for any stationary phase relative to the stationary phase selected as a standard is preferable to the separation selectivity of the same pair of substances. Full information can be obtained by determining the retention of corresponding adsorbates with two different mobile phase compositions for each column under study. It was shown that the pair of adsorbates p-toluidine-p-cresol exhibits higher sensitivity to a change in the hydrophilicity of stationary phases as compared to the pair aniline-phenol. However, the use of a nonpolar substance as a reference compound is more informative.     

Comparison of retention on traditional alkyl, polar endcapped, and polar embedded group stationary phases

The development of new RP stationary phases containing polar groups has provided the chromatographer with a variety of stationary phase choices with differing selectivities. Polar endcapped and polar embedded group stationary phases have found use in solving a wide variety of separation problems, especially for the efficient separation of organic bases as well as separations necessitating the use of highly aqueous mobile phases. In this report, the retention thermodynamics of small, nonpolar solutes on traditional alkyl, polar endcapped, and polar embedded group stationary phases are compared. It is found that the nonpolar (methylene) transfer enthalpy is less favorable when polar embedded group phases are used, when compared to traditional or polar endcapped phases. In contrast, the transfer enthalpy of a phenyl group is found to be more favorable when a polar endcapped phase is used. In addition, the retention characteristics of these phases are compared using a set of solutes with differing solvatochromic parameters. Hydrogen-bond acids appear to have enhanced retention on polar embedded group phases, while hydrogen-bond bases have enhanced retention on polar endcapped phases.     

Mechanism and prediction of retention of oligomers in normal-phase and reversed-phase HPLC

Summary The simultaneous dependence of the retention in oligomeric series on the number of repeat structural units and on the mobile phase composition may be described by very similar equations for reversed-phase and for normal-phase systems.In reversed-phase systems, the separation selectivity of the individual oligomers is determined mainly by the size and by the polarity of the repeat structural unit, but the influence of a bulky and polar structural residue may also become important so that even reversed order of elution may be observed for oligomeric series with the same oligomeric units but significantly different end groups. For example, oligoethylene glycols are eluted in the order of increasing size of the oligomers, whereas ethoxylated nonylphenols are eluted in the order of decreasing size.In normal-phase systems, the separation selectivity in oligomeric series depends on the adsorption energy and on the adsorbed area of the oligomeric unit. If the oligomeric unit is small, the concentration of the polar solvent in the binary organic mobile phase has only a minor effect on retention and selectivity, which may be controlled by taking account of the nature of the adsorbent and of the polar solvent or by varying the proportion of two polar solvents in a ternary mobile phase.     

Stationary and mobile phases in hydrophilic interaction chromatography: a review

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is valuable alternative to reversed-phase liquid chromatography separations of polar, weakly acidic or basic samples. In principle, this separation mode can be characterized as normal-phase chromatography on polar columns in aqueous-organic mobile phases rich in organic solvents (usually acetonitrile). Highly organic HILIC mobile phases usually enhance ionization in the electrospray ion source of a mass spectrometer, in comparison to mobile phases with higher concentrations of water generally used in reversed-phase (RP) LC separations of polar or ionic compounds, which is another reason for increasing popularity of this technique. Various columns can be used in the HILIC mode for separations of peptides, proteins, oligosaccharides, drugs, metabolites and various natural compounds: bare silica gel, silica-based amino-, amido-, cyano-, carbamate-, diol-, polyol-, zwitterionic sulfobetaine, or poly(2-sulphoethyl aspartamide) and other polar stationary phases chemically bonded on silica gel support, but also ion exchangers or zwitterionic materials showing combined HILIC-ion interaction retention mechanism. Some stationary phases are designed to enhance the mixed-mode retention character. Many polar columns show some contributions of reversed phase (hydrophobic) separation mechanism, depending on the composition of the mobile phase, which can be tuned to suit specific separation problems. Because the separation selectivity in the HILIC mode is complementary to that in reversed-phase and other modes, combinations of the HILIC, RP and other systems are attractive for two-dimensional applications. This review deals with recent advances in the development of HILIC phase separation systems with special attention to the properties of stationary phases. The effects of the mobile phase, of sample structure and of temperature on separation are addressed, too.     

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography using amino and silica columns for the determination of polar pharmaceuticals and impurities

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is described as a useful alternative to reversed-phase chromatography for applications involving polar compounds. In the HILIC mode, an aqueous-organic mobile phase is used with a polar stationary phase to provide normal-phase retention behavior. Silica and amino columns with aqueous-acetonitrile mobile phases offer potential for use in the HILIC mode. An examination of the retention and separation of several pyrimidines, purines, and amides on silica and amino columns from three manufacturers revealed that mobile phases should contain a buffer or acid for pH control to achieve similar and reproducible results among columns from different sources. Amino columns may also be used in an anion-exchange mode, which provides an advantage for some applications. In some cases, silica can provide different selectivity and better separation than an amino column. Example applications include: low-molecular-mass organic acids and amides as impurities in non-polar drug substances, 5-fluorouracil in 5-fluorocytosine, guanine in acyclovir, and different selectivity for polar basic compounds compared to an ion-pairing system.     

Applicability of alkyl-bonded ultra-pure silica stationary phases for gradient reversed-phase HPLC of folates with conventional and volatile buffers under highly aqueous conditions

Applicability of several alkyl-bonded silica stationary phases was tested for gradient RP-HPLC of folates under highly aqueous conditions. High retention of folates was achieved on alternative phases with enhanced polarity and classical phases with higher carbon content. Phases exhibiting polar secondary interactions were found to provide better selectivity for late-eluting folates, whereas selectivity for early-eluting folates was mostly dependent on hydrophobic interactions. Best selectivity in phosphate buffered mobile phase was achieved on polar-endcapped silica phases (Aquasil C18 and HyPurity Aquastar) followed by alternative Atlantis dC18. Classical phases exhibited poorer separation of 10-formyl-folic acid and 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate, but it could be considerably improved by increasing the buffer pH. Strong secondary interactions of ion-exchange character on polar-embedded phases resulted in marked peak deterioration, loss of recovery and dramatic changes in retention behaviour for early- and late-eluting folates when changing the mobile phase composition and pH. Therefore, polar-embedded phases such as HyPurity Advance were found to be unsuitable for separating folates. Stationary phases exhibited peak deterioration when using volatile buffer of low ionic strength. Better results were obtained with classical phases, whereas alternative phases showed not only peak deterioration but also a decrease in recovery and poorer selectivity due to increased secondary interactions in volatile buffer.     

Imidazoline type stationary phase for hydrophilic interaction chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

An imidazoline was prepared by solvent-free microwave-assisted organic synthesis and immobilized on porous silica particles by polymerization. The resulting material was composed of both hydrophobic alkyl ester chains and hydrophilic imidazoline rings, which gave it both hydrophilic interaction and reversed-phase characteristics. The titration curve suggests that the new material has buffering capacity and acquires increasing positive charge over the pH range 9-4, and is "zwitterionic" in the upper part of this pH range. Through investigating the effect of column temperature, the water content, pH and ion strength of mobile phase on the retention time of polar compounds in highly organic eluents, it was found that the new material could be used as a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) stationary phase which involved a complex retention process consisting of partitioning, surface adsorption and electrostatic interactions. In addition, the retention behavior of aromatic compounds in different mobile phase conditions was also studied, which showed the new material mainly exhibited a partitioning mechanism in the reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) mode. The separation of six water-soluble vitamins and five aromatic compounds were achieved by using the new material in the HILIC and RPLC modes, respectively.     

Chromatographic evaluation of reversed-phase/anion-exchange/cation-exchange trimodal stationary phases prepared by electrostatically driven self-assembly process

This work describes chromatographic properties of reversed-phase/cation-exchange/anion-exchange trimodal stationary phases. These stationary phases were based on high-purity porous spherical silica particles coated with nano-polymer beads using an electrostatically driven self-assembly process. The inner-pore area of the material was modified covalently with an organic layer that provided both reversed-phase and anion-exchange properties while the outer surface was coated with nano-sized polymer beads with strong cation-exchange characteristics. This design ensured spatial separation of the anion-exchange and the cation-exchange regions, and allowed reversed-phase, anion-exchange and cation-exchange retention mechanisms to function simultaneously. Chromatographic evaluation of ions and small molecules suggested that retention of ionic analytes was influenced by the ionic strength, pH, and mobile phase organic solvent content, and governed by both ion-exchange and hydrophobic interactions. Meanwhile, neutral analytes were retained by hydrophobic interaction and was mainly affected by mobile phase organic solvent content. Depending on the specific application, selectivity could be optimized by adjusting the anion-exchange/cation-exchange capacity ratio (selectivity), which was achieved experimentally by using porous silica particles with different surface areas.     

Column selection for liquid chromatographic estimation of the k'w hydrophobicity parameter

Newer reversed-phase column technologies that incorporate polar groups either by an endcapping procedure or by embedding them into the stationary phase ligand have been receiving much attention in the literature for their robustness when highly aqueous conditions are used. We investigated their ability to accurately determine the chromatographic hydrophobicity value log k'w. The non-linear deviations of retention data as mobile phase conditions approach zero percent modifier are a large source of error when extrapolating to log k'w values using the linear solvent strength model. Here, we compare a conventional reversed-phase stationary phase with others that have incorporated either polar embedded or polar endcapped phases, along with a hybrid-based particle derivatized with a polar embedded ligand. Our results show that polar endcapped phases perform very similarly to the conventional phase and do not show any improved ability for determining log k'w, but polar embedded phases have reduced curvature in the data, and therefore result in less error in extrapolation. We also investigated the solubility parameter model and the [ET(30)] model for their extrapolation efficiency, and have concluded that the [ET(30)] model shows the least error when extrapolating the data.     

Effect of Temperature on the Chromatographic Behavior of Epirubicin and its Analogues on High Purity Silica Using Reversed-Phase Solvents

The influence of temperature on the retention behavior of epirubicin and its analogues on high purity silica with reversed-phase solvents has been systematically investigated. It was found that temperature effects on retention are highly dependent on the type and concentration of organic modifier, as well as the pH of the mobile phase. In organic-rich mobile phases, the type of organic modifier plays an important role. With an aprotic solvent as modifier, retention times show anomalous increases with elevated temperature. At the same time, both efficiency and resolution are significantly improved but this is not the situation with a protic solvent as modifier. In addition, temperature shows different effects on retention time and selectivity when the pH is changed, and temperature-dependent selectivity reversal is found at higher pHs. In aqueous-rich mobile phases, regardless of the nature of the organic solvent and pH, retention of solutes drops as temperature is raised. It seems that the effect of temperature on chromatographic behavior of the solutes on bare silica using mobile phases containing various organic modifiers or pHs, results from a number of different retention mechanisms.     

Investigation of the role of adsorption at the stationary phase interface in capillary columns prepared with cross-linked phases

Summary On the basis of the adsorption-absorption additivity theory the influence of adsorption on the retention of polar samples has been quantitatively studied using fused-silica capillary columns coated with nonpolar cross-linked and non-cross-linked liquid stationary phases. It is shown that cross-linking of a nonpolar stationary phase increases the contribution of adsorption to the retention of polar compoments. As a result the retention of polar compounds increases on crosslinked stationary phases as compared with the initial (non cross-linked) phase. “The material of this paper was presented at the 15th International Symposium on Chromatography, Nürnberg, October, 1984”     

High throughput screening or drug impurity profiles using gradients in normal phase chromatography

Summary Developmental drug substances and a variety of precursors and process-related impurities were separated using mobile phase gradients under normal phase conditions. These separation conditions produced efficient separations in a fraction of the time necessary for comparable reversed-phase separations. The use of elevated temperatures, polar modifiers and moderate levels of acidic and basic additives allowed highly polar analytes to be eluted with high efficiency and selectivity using fast flow rates. Reproducibility for retention time and peak areas was demonstrated to be very good despite very short equilibration times.     

The effect of the structure of bonded cyanoalkyl stationary phases on their selectivity in the liquid chromatographic separation of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

Summary The paper discusses the effect of the length and structure of the hydrocarbon chain connecting the nitrile group to the silica gel surface on the chromatographic properties of cyanoalkyl phases.When using non-polar and polar mobile phases, the selectivity of the cyanodecyl phases toward PAHs is higher than of the cyanopropyl phase and of hydroxylated silica gel.Polar additives to the mobile phase drastically decrease the retention on silica gel and on the cyanopropyl phase while affect the properties of cyanodecyl phases only to a considerably less degree. Newly synthesized phases with different structures of the hydrocarbon chain are compared with the commerical cyano-and ODS-phases. The retention mechanism on the cyanoalkyl phases is discussed.     

Naphthalene sulphonic acids--new test compounds for characterization of the columns for reversed-phase chromatography

Non-substituted naphthalene sulphonic acids are strong acids, which are completely ionised in aqueous and aqueous-organic solutions. Because of repulsive electrostatic interactions, they are more or less excluded from the pores of the column packing materials commonly used in reversed-phase chromatography. The ionic exclusion can be suppressed by increasing the ionic strength of the mobile phase. In aqueous sodium sulphate solutions, very good selectivity was observed for isomeric naphthalene di- and tri-sulphonic acids, allowing reversed-phase separations of these strongly ionic compounds without addition of ion-pairing reagents to the mobile phase. The retention of the isomeric acids increases proportionally to the dipole moment, which can be explained by its effect on increasing exposure of the naphthalene ring to hydrophobic interactions with the non-polar stationary phases. Chromatographic behaviour of isomeric naphthalene di- and trisulphonic acids was investigated on 25 different columns for reversed-phase chromatography. The elution order of the isomers is the same on all the columns, but very strong stationary phase effects were observed on the retention and on the band asymmetry, depending on polar interactions with residual silanol groups and other polar adsorption centres in the stationary phases. These effects are independent of the organic solvents, as the tests are performed in purely aqueous mobile phases and allow classification of the columns into several groups.     

Separation of Dietary Folates by Gradient Reversed-Phase HPLC: Comparison of Alternative and Conventional Silica-Based Stationary Phases

A study of ten silica-based stationary phases and gradient elution conditions to separate dietary folates by reversed-phase HPLC was performed. Alkyl-bonded stationary phases (both conventional and alternative) were found to be the most promising for the separation of different folate monoglutamates in terms of selectivity and peak shape. These phases were better than phenyl-bonded phases which lacked selectivity when separating 10-formyl-folic acid and 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate. Polar-bonded (cyano) stationary phase showed similar retention characteristics as the conventional alkyl-bonded phases, but ranked below those in terms of peak shape. Overall, alternative stationary phases exhibited slightly higher retention of late-eluted folates and greater retention variability for early-eluting tetrahydrofolate and 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate. Best selectivity was achieved on alternative polar endcapped Aquasil C₁₈ followed by conventional Synergy MAX C₁₂ and Genesis C₁₈ stationary phases.     

Influence of column characteristics on retention and selectivity in RP-HPLC

Summary Eight commercially available reversed-phase (RP) columns of widely different characteristics were evaluated and compared using the linear solvation energy relationships (LSER). Retention factors of 32 solutes of different types were determined under isocratic conditions using an acetonitrile-water (30∶70) mobile phase. Stationary phase properties were compared by the fitting coefficients of the LSER-based regression equations which are characteristic of the individual stationary phases and represent the extent of various molecular interactions contributing to the retention process. The good agreement between the calculated and measured logk values for different type of compounds support the adequacy and applicability of the LSER model to describe chromatographic retention. Characterization of column performance for the separation of various type of compounds was established by the determination of the different selectivity factors representing hydrophobic selectivity, polar selectivity and specific selectivity.     

Comparison of retention of aromatic hydrocarbons with polar groups in binary reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography systems

The retention of aromatic hydrocarbons with polar groups has been correlated as log k1 versus log k2 for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography systems with different binary aqueous mobile phases containing methanol, acetonitrile or tetrahydrofuran as modifiers. Distinct changes in separation selectivity have been observed between tetrahydrofuran and acetonitrile or methanol systems. Methanol and acetonitrile systems show lower diversity of separation selectivity. The changes in retention and selectivity of aromatic hydrocarbons with various polar groups between any two chromatographic systems with binary aqueous eluents (tetrahydrofuran vs. acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran vs. methanol and methanol vs. acetonitrile) have been interpreted in terms of molecular interactions of the solute with especially one component of the stationary phase region, i.e. extracted modifier, and stationary phase ordering. The ordering of the stationary phase region caused by modifier type influences the chromatographic selectivity of solutes with different molecular shape.     

Investigation of a novel mixed-mode stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography. Part III: Separation of nucleosides and nucleic acid bases on sulfonated naphthalimido-modified silyl silica gel

Capillary electrochromatography (CEC) with a novel stationary phase, 3-(4-sulfo-1,8-naphthalimido)propyl-modified silyl silica gel (SNAIP), proved useful for the separation of nucleosides and nucleic acid bases. The application scope of SNAIP, which is a relatively polar reversed-phase (RP)-type stationary phase, was successfully expanded to include the CEC separation of polar compounds although the combination of non-polar RP phase with highly aqueous mobile phase is often inadequate. Due to the permanently charged sulfonic acid groups and the naphthalimidopropyl moiety, the retention of charged and relatively polar nucleosides as well as bases on the SNAIP stationary phase was effected by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. This yielded a unique selectivity on SNAIP toward nucleosides and bases. The characteristic EOF on SNAIP, which was stronger at higher aqueous content in the mobile phase, proved suitable for the separation of polar compounds in reversed-phase mode with highly aqueous mobile phase. In addition, when a double stepwise gradient was employed to accelerate the latest peak (adenine), the elution time was shortened to less than half its original duration.