The application of porous silica layers in open tubular columns for liquid chromatography

Summary Two methods to realize a porous retentive silica layer on the inner wall of 10–25 μm fused silica capillaries for OTLC, etching and precipitation of silica from solution, have been investigated. Etching of the fused silica capillaries with 1M KOH, creates an activated surface, but the capacity of the silica layer is too small to serve as retentive layer in OTLC. Better prospects are offered by the precipitation of silica from a solution of polyethoxysiloxane, dynamically coated on the inner wall of the fused silica capillary. It appears to be possible to deposite a porous silica layer up to 0.8 μm thick (in a 25 μm capillary) by this method, which seems to be suitable for liquid-solid an dynamically generated liquid-liquid chromatography in open tubular columns. The performance of these columns are demonstrated by means of efficient separations of test mixtures using on-column fluorescence detection.     

A weak cation-exchange phase for the separation of biogenic amines by open tubular liquid chromatography

Summary The preparation and performance of a weak cation-exchange stationary phase for Open Tubular Liquid Chromatography (OT-LC) was investigated. The stationary phase was prepared in 5.4 μm I.D. fused silica capillaries byin situ photopolymerization of a mixture of silicon acrylate and acrylic acid. The influence of pH, counter ion concentration and organic modifier concentration of the mobile phase on the retention was studied with catecholamines as test solutes using LIF detection. Other biological amines like amino acids, small peptides and nucleic acid derivatives could be separated on this stationary phase as well. The kinetic performance of the stationary phase was studied with several cations and neutral solutes.     

Bioanalytical application of multidimensional open tubular column supercritical fluid chromatography

Summary On-line multidimensional open tubular column supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC/SFC) using either a flow-switching or a rotary valve-switching interface has been applied to bioanalytical problems. These include the analysis of (a) cholesterol in dried egg yolk, (b) retinoic acids in rat serum, and (c) a digitalis-like factor in peritoneal dialysate from hypertensive patients. A solvent vent injection technique was incorporated in the system, allowing single or multiple volumes of extract (up to 2.0 L each) to be injected into an uncoated, but deactivated, length of capillary precolumn without flooding of the analytical column. For flow-switching, a well-deactivated, glass-lined offset-cross with a small dead volume was placed between the primary and the secondary column. With a rotary valve-switching interface, a cold trap was employed for refocusing analytes at low pressure from single or multiple fractional cuts after being transferred to the second dimension.     

Preparation and evaluation of 3 m open tubular capillary columns with a zwitterionic polymeric porous layer for liquid chromatography

A 3 m zwitterionic polymeric porous layer open tubular column (3 m × 25 μm id × 375 μm od) with a polymeric porous layer thickness of 4 μm was fabricated by the copolymerization of [2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] dimethyl‐(3‐sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide and N,N’‐methylenebis(acrylamide). The effects of the diameter of the capillary, reaction temperature, and polymerization time on the preparation of the open tubular column were investigated. Characterized by scanning electron microscopy, the zwitterionic layer was observed to be rough and throughout the fused‐silica capillary homogenously, which increased the phase ratio. The separation of neutral, basic, and acidic compounds demonstrates the strong hydrophilicity of the poly[2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] dimethyl‐(3‐sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide coating. In addition, the poly[2‐(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] dimethyl‐(3‐sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide porous layer open tubular column was applied for the analysis of flavonoids from the rootstalk of licorice, revealing the potential in separating complex samples. The relative standard deviation of retention time for run‐to‐run (n = 5), day‐to‐day (n = 3), and column‐to‐column (n = 3) of toluene, N,N‐dimethylformamide, formamide, and thiourea were below 1.2%, exhibiting good repeatability.     

Estimation of the instrumental band broadening contribution to the column elution profiles in open tubular capillary liquid chromatography

In comparison with conventionally packed HPLC columns, from a theoretical point of view, open capillary liquid chromatography (OTLC) systems offer a number of advantages like high plate numbers and short analysis times. On the other hand, drastic changes have to be made to the instrumentation. In particular, the contribution to band broadening by the chromatographic equipment must be considerably reduced. In the present study an OTLC system was developed and evaluated, which yields satisfactory results for 26 μm i. d. columns. The determination of the contribution of the chromatographic equipment to the total band broadening is discussed.     

Practical applications of open tubes in liquid chromatography

The practical applications of open tubes in liquid chromatography as separation columns and as reactors for post column derivatization are discussed. With present technology, the potential efficiency of open tubular columns cannot be fully exploited. As reactors in post column derivatization, these tubes offer many advantages if knitted or stitched to enhance radial mass transfer. The application of open tubes with diameters between 0.12 mm and 0.6 mm as reactors in the selective and sensitive detection of amino acids is demonstrated.     

On-line multidimensional open tubular column supercritical fluid chromatography using a valve-switching interface

Summary An on-line two-dimensional open tubular column supercritical fluid chromatograph was constructed and evaluated. A rotary valve interface allowed independent flow control of two 50-m i.d. open tubular columns, providing maximum versatility for heartcutting. A solvent-venting injection technique was incorporated in the system that enabled single or multiple 2.0-L volumes to be injected into an uncoated, yet deactivated, length of capillary precolumn without flooding of the analytical column. A cold trap was employed to refocussolutes from single or multiple fractional cuts after being transferred to the second dimension. The performance of the system was demonstrated with the analysis of mixtures of polycyclic aromatic compounds and steroids. Efficiencies of 4,500 plates m^–1 were preserved in the second column after heartcutting.     

An electrochemical detector cell for open tubular liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Summary An electrochemical detector cell has been developed for micro-flow separation systems (OTLC, CE). The cell contains two electrodes, a disk-shaped working electrode made from a carbon fiber bundle, and a tubular Ag/AgCl quasi-reference electrode. The effective cell volume and the coulometric yield have been determined, for different electrode diameters and at different flow rates, in an OTLC system. An effective cell volume of less than 1 nl was observed. The applicability of the cell was demonstrated with the detection of OPA-derivatized amino acids. For use in CE, the cell was equipped with an additional compartment, housing a semi-permeable joint for the decoupling of the high electric field used for the electrophoretic separation. Results are shown on the determination of catecholamines by CE with electrochemical detection. Detection limits with both OTLC and CE were well below 1 fmole.     

Performance of open tubular columns as a function of tube diameter and liquid phase film thickness

Summary Wall-coated, open-tubular (capillary) columns prepared from different diameter tubing, with different liquid phase film thickness, are compared with each other and with packed and support-coated open-tubular columns. The comparison is based on the variation of the phase ratio and the capacity factor, and includes column efficiency (HETP, theoretical plate number), resolution, retention time, and sample capacity. Problems associated with the evaluation of the sample capacity are outlined. The influence of temperature on column performance is discussed in detail. Finally, the possibilities of short, wide-bore open-tubular columns prepared with a thick liquid-phase film are demonstrated.Parts of this paper were presented at the 35th Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Atlantic City NJ, March 5–9, 1984, and at the 20th International Symposium on Advances in Chromatography, New York NY, April 16–18, 1984.     

Factors affecting reproducibility in the manufacture of glass and siliceous glass open tubular (capillary) columns

Summary Column characteristics affecting the chromatographic behavior of glass and siliceous glass (fused silica) capillary columns include the dimensional uniformity of the column, the physical and chemical characteristics of the column wall and the characteristics of the liquid phase. In the case of the coated column the uniformity and thickness of the liquid phase film are the most important criteria affecting column reproducibility. The paper discusses these factors and their influence on column performance.Presented in part at the Symposium on Standardized Materials for Chromatography, 181 st National American Chemical Society Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, March 29–April 3, 1981.     

Open tubular liquid chromatography: Recent advances and future trends

Nano-liquid chromatography (nanoLC) is gaining significant attention as a primary analytical technique across various scientific domains. Unlike conventional high-performance LC, nanoLC utilizes columns with inner diameters (i.ds.) usually ranging from 10 to 150 μm and operates at mobile phase flow rates between 10 and 1000 nl/min, offering improved chromatographic performance and detectability. Currently, most exploration of nanoLC has focused on particle-packed columns. Although open tubular LC (OTLC) can provide superior performance, optimized OTLC columns require very narrow i.ds. (< 10 μm) and demand challenging instrumentation. At the moment, these challenges have limited the success of OTLC. Nevertheless, remarkable progress has been made in developing and utilizing OTLC systems featuring narrow columns (< 2 μm). Additionally, significant efforts have been made to explore larger columns (10–75 μm i.d), demonstrating practical applicability in many situations. Due to their perceived advantages, interest in OTLC has resurged in the last two decades. This review provides an updated outlook on the latest developments in OTLC, focusing on instrumental challenges, achievements, and advancements in column technology. Moreover, it outlines selected applications that illustrate the potential of OTLC for performing targeted and untargeted studies.     

Open tubular columns and non-porous packings in copolymer HPLC analysis

Summary The separation of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) is presented in open tubular stainless steel columns and columns packed with non-porous glass beads. Furthermore separation on a short silica packed column proved to be better than on a similar longer column. A definition of the term high performance precipitation liquid chromatography is suggested for gradient elution with sample injection into a starting eluent which is a nonsolvent for the copolymer under investigation. The choice of a suitable solvent-nonsolvent combination is of essential importance.     

The analysis of lubricating oil additives by supercritical fluid chromatography with packed and open tubular capillary columns

Lubricating oil additives have been analyzed by supercritical fluid chromatography on open tubular and packed capillary columns. Carbon dioxide and modified carbon dioxide were used as mobile phases and detection was accomplished by flame ionization and micro UV. Rapid and efficient analysis of the lubricating oil additives was demonstrated.     

Gravity-flow open tubular cation chromatography

We describe ion chromatography (IC) on open tubular cation exchange columns with a controllable capacity multilayered stationary phase architecture. The columns of relatively large bore (75 microm id) are fabricated by coating fused-silica capillaries with multiple layers of poly(butadiene-maleic acid) (PBMA) copolymer and crosslinking the deposited layers by thermally initiated radical polymerisation. Column capacity increases in a predictable manner with increase in the number of successively coated layers. Gravity flow with a modest head (< 2 m) can provide the desired separations within a reasonable period. We provide a minimalist configuration where no suppression is used, the sample is injected hydrodynamically as in CE, and detection is accomplished by an inexpensive homebuilt contactless conductivity detector or a capacitance to voltage digital converter. A 1 m long 75 microm bore column coated with two layers of PBMA allows gravity-flow open tubular IC to separate four alkali cations in < 10 min with a 1 mM tartaric acid (TA) eluent. Simultaneous separation of alkali and alkaline earth metal cations can be accomplished in less than 25 min using 1.75 mM pyridinedicarboxylic acid as an eluent. Contactless conductometric detection (C(4)D) allows LODs down to 150 nmol/L, corresponding to 30 fmol injections. Analysis of real water samples is demonstrated.     

Separation of polystyrenes by means of open tubular capillary chromatography

Simulating polymer separation in flow-through channels of monolithic columns, separation of a mixture of polystyrene standards was investigated using open tubular capillary column of 2 μm inner diameter. High column efficiency was observed for polymers of molar mass ranged from few tens to few hundred kDas. Column efficiency significantly decreased for polymers with molar mass larger than 500 kDa nevertheless preserving value of few tens of thousands theoretical plates. Calibration curve observed for open capillary column is rather steep and can be well described by simple equation without quadratic term. In spite of low selectivity, capillary columns were able in separating wide range of polystyrene standards due to column high efficiency and in such a way supported an idea of hydrodynamic mechanism of polymer separation in flow-through channel of monolithic packings.     

Kaolin as support for porous layer open tubular columns

Summary PLOT columns have been prepared with kaolin as the liquid phase support. These columns show good efficiency with different stationary phases and good thermal stability with polar phases. The performance of columns is shown by the separation of various mixtures such as fatty acids, phenols and anilines which are of analytical importance.     

开管毛细管色谱柱的制备及其在蛋白质组学研究中的应用进展

近年来随着生命科学等领域的深入发展,人们对微量样本分离分析的需求越来越高,液相色谱系统的微量化受到了更多的关注。由于开管毛细管色谱柱具有较低的反向压力,可通过采用更长的色谱柱提高柱效,从而实现对复杂生物样本的高效分离,因而成为液相色谱柱新的发展方向。本文对开管毛细管色谱柱的制备方法及应用进展进行了综述。     

Determination of metoprolol in human plasma by column switching high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary Retention characteristics of metoprolol have been studied in reversed phase mode on RP2, RP8 and CN columns. The plots of retention time as a function of the acetonitrile content and of the ionic strength of the mobile phase permitted the choice of the best conditions to separate metoprolol from plasma components by switching of these three types of columns.Human plasma (0.5–1 ml) diluted with water is first injected on a RP2 column (25–40 m particle diameter, prepared by dry packing) and rinsed with water. The sample is then back eluted with acetonitrile-0.022 M acetate buffer (7525, v:v) and switched to a CN column (10 cm long, 5 m particle diameter). The heart cut of the eluate is selected and loaded on a RP8 analytical column (25 cm long, 5 m particle diameter) with acetonitrile-0.088 M acetate buffer (7525, v:v) as mobile phase.Auto-sampler and switching valves are actuated automatically by a computing integrator based on a fixed time schedule. The duration of one cycle is about 30 min, but the last analytical step is about 15 min and represents the time interval between two injections. Metoprolol, its alpha-hydroxy metabolite and the internal standard are detected by fluorescence (_ex= 225 nm; _em > 320 nm).Presented at the 14th International Symposium on Chromatography London, September, 1982     

Calculation of amino acid hydrophilicity indices for retention of peptides on amide, diol and silica columns in normal-phase liquid chromatography

Summary A set of hydrophilicity parameters in a normal-phase liquid chromatography of peptides is presented in order to clarify the contribution of individual amino acid residues to peptide retention and to predict retention times. The retention of 100 peptides was studied using normal-phase liquid chromatography on amide, diol and silica columns. An acetonitrile-water mixed solution containing 0.2% trifluoroacetic acid +0.2% triethylamine was used as the mobile phase in a linear gradient elution system. The contribution of each residue upon retention was calculated by linear multiple regression analysis. This paper described the contribution values as “hydrophilicity retention coefficients”. Using these hydrophilicity retention coefficients, retention times could be predicted for peptides of known amino acid content and sequence. A set of hydrophilicity retention coefficients on each column was successfully explained by contributions to the degree of retention.     

Column selectivity in reversed-phase liquid chromatography. VII. Cyanopropyl columns

Eleven cyanopropyl ("cyano") columns were characterized by means of a relationship developed originally for alkyl-silica columns. Compared to type-B alkyl-silica columns (i.e., made from pure silica), cyano columns are much less hydrophobic (smaller H), less sterically restricted (smaller S*), and have lower hydrogen-bond acidity (smaller A). Because sample retention is generally much weaker on cyano versus other columns (e.g., C8, C18), a change to a cyano column usually requires a significantly weaker mobile phase in order to maintain comparable values of k for both columns. For this reason, practical comparisons of selectivity between cyano and other columns (i.e., involving different mobile phases for each column) must take into account possible changes in separation due to the change in mobile phase, as well as change in the column.