Selectivity of stationary phases in reversed-phase liquid chromatography based on the dispersion interactions

Selectivity of 15 stationary phases was examined, either commercially available or synthesized in-house. The highest selectivity factors were observed for solute molecules having different polarizability on the 3-(pentabromobenzyloxy)propyl phase (PBB), followed by the 2-(1-pyrenyl)ethyl phase (PYE). Selectivity of fluoroalkane 4,4-di(trifluoromethyl)-5,5,6,6,7,7,7-heptafluoroheptyl (F13C9) phase is lowest among all phases for all compounds except for fluorinated ones. Aliphatic octyl (C8) and octadecyl (C18) phases demonstrated considerable selectivity, especially for alkyl compounds. While PBB showed much greater preference for compounds with high polarizability containing heavy atoms than C18 phase, F13C9 phase showed the exactly opposite tendency. These three stationary phases can offer widely different selectivity that can be utilized when one stationary phase fails to provide separation for certain mixtures. The retention and selectivity of solutes in reversed-phase liquid chromatography is related to the mobile phase and the stationary phase effects. The mobile phase effect, related to the hydrophobic cavity formation around non-polar solutes, is assumed to have a dominant effect on retention upon aliphatic stationary phases such as C8, C18. In a common mobile phase significant stationary phase effect can be attributed to dispersion interaction. Highly dispersive stationary phases such as PBB and PYE retain solutes to a significant extent by (attractive) dispersion interaction with the stationary phase ligands, especially for highly dispersive solutes containing aromatic functionality and/or heavy atoms. The contribution of dispersion interaction is shown to be much less on C18 or C8 phases and was even disadvantageous on F13C9 phase. Structural properties of stationary phases are analyzed and confirmed by means of quantitative structure-chromatographic retention (QSRR) study.     

HPLC retention behavior on hydride-based stationary phases

Two stationary phases attached to a silica hydride surface, cholesterol and bidentate C18, are investigated with a number of pharmaceutically related compounds in order to illustrate the various retention mechanisms that are possible for these bonded materials. The test solutes range from hydrophilic to hydrophobic based on log P (octanol/water partition coefficient) and pKa values. The mobile phases consist of acidified (formic and perchloric acid) water/methanol or water/ACN mixtures. Of particular interest are the high organic content mobile phase compositions where the retention would increase if the bonded material was operating in the aqueous normal phase (ANP) mode. Plots of retention factor (k) versus mobile phase composition are used to elucidate the retention mechanism. A number of examples are presented where solutes are retained based on RP, ANP, or dual retention mechanisms. The silica hydride-based stationary phases can also retain compounds in the organic normal phase.     

Insights into the retention mechanism on an octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase (HyPURITY C18) in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Plots of the retention factor against mobile phase composition were used to organize a varied group of solutes into three categories according to their retention mechanism on an octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase HyPURITY C18 with methanol-water and acetonitrile-water mobile phase compositions containing 10-70% (v/v) organic solvent. The solutes in category 1 could be fit to a general retention model, Eq. (2), and exhibited normal retention behavior for the full composition range. The solutes in category 2 exhibited normal retention behavior at high organic solvent composition with a discontinuity at low organic solvent compositions. The solutes in category 3 exhibited a pronounced step or plateau in the middle region of the retention plots with a retention mechanism similar to category 1 solutes at mobile phase compositions after the discontinuity and a different retention mechanism before the discontinuity. Selecting solutes and appropriate composition ranges from the three categories where a single retention mechanism was operative allowed modeling of the experimental retention factors using the solvation parameter model. These models were then used to predict retention factors for solutes not included in the models. The overwhelming number of residual values [log k (experimental) - log k (model predicted)] were negative and could be explained by contributions from steric repulsion, defined as the inability of the solute to insert itself fully into the stationary phase because of its bulkiness (i.e., volume and/or shape). Steric repulsion is shown to strongly depend on the mobile phase composition and was more significant for mobile phases with a low volume fraction of organic solvent in general and for mobile phases containing methanol rather than acetonitrile. For mobile phases containing less than about 20 % (v/v) organic solvent the mobile phase was unable to completely wet the stationary phase resulting in a significant change in the phase ratio and for acetonitrile (but less so methanol) changes in the solvation environment indicated by a discontinuity in the system maps.     

Mobile phase effects on retention on a new butylimidazolium-based high-performance liquid chromatographic stationary phase

A new HPLC stationary phase based on n-butylimidazolium bromide has been characterized by a linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) approach in the binary acetonitrile/water mobile phases. The retention properties of the stationary phase were systematically evaluated in terms of intermolecular interactions between 28 test solutes and the stationary phase. The results and further comparisons with conventional reversed phase system confirm that retention properties are similar to phenyl phases in acetonitrile/water mixtures. The results obtained with acetonitrile/water mixtures are also compared with results obtained using methanol/water mixtures.     

咪唑侧基功能化聚离子液体修饰的混合模式色谱固定相的制备及其色谱性能

该文合成了咪唑侧基功能化的离子液体单体1-(4-乙烯基苄基)-3-氰甲基溴化咪唑盐,通过表面引发原子转移自由基聚合将该单体接枝到硅胶表面,制备了一种新型混合模式色谱固定相。采用红外光谱、元素分析及热重分析对其结构进行表征。该色谱固定相具有良好的分离能力。通过研究流动相pH对物质保留的影响,验证了物质在该固定相上存在反相-离子交换保留机理。通过与十八烷基硅烷键合硅胶固定相比较,证实了该聚离子液体固定相对物质保留提供了π-π作用。结果表明,对咪唑侧基功能化是制备新型离子液体固定相的可行方法。     

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.     

Description of retention characteristics of calixarene-bonded stationary phases in dependence of the methanol content in the mobile phase

Calixarene-bonded stationary phases in HPLC are known to support additional interactions compared to conventional alkyl-bonded phases (π–π interactions, complex-building interactions). Thus it cannot be presumed that the same mechanisms of retention apply and that retention can be predicted in similar ways. Here 31 solutes of highly various molecular structures have been analysed at different mobile phase compositions (0–98% (v/v) methanol) in order to characterise the chromatographic behaviour of the novel stationary phases and to test the applicability of established models predicting retention factors. The influence of a change of the methanol content is discussed for non-polar, polar and ionic solutes and differences of their behaviour on the differing column types are shown. Additionally estimates about underlying retention mechanisms are given.     

Characterisation of stationary phases in subcritical fluid chromatography with the solvation parameter model. III. Polar stationary phases

In this third paper, varied types of polar stationary phases, namely silica gel (SI), cyano (CN)- and amino-propyl (NH2)-bonded silica, propanediol-bonded silica (DIOL), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), were investigated in subcritical fluid mobile phase. This study was performed to provide a greater knowledge of the properties of these phases in SFC, and to allow a more rapid and efficient choice of polar stationary phase in regard of the chemical nature of the solutes to be separated. The effect of the nature of the stationary phase on interactions between solute and stationary phases and between solute and carbon dioxide-modifier mobile phases was studied by the use of a linear solvation energy relationship (LSER), the solvation parameter model. The retention behaviour observed with sub/supercritical fluid with carbon dioxide-methanol is close to the one reported in normal-phase liquid chromatography with hexane. The hydrogen bond acidity and basicity, and the polarity/polarizability favour the solute retention when the molar volume of the solute reduces it. As with non-polar phases, the absence of water in the subcritical fluid allows the solute/stationary phase interactions to play a greater part in the retention behaviour. As expected, the DIOL phase and the bare silica display a similar behaviour towards acidic and basic solutes, when interactions with basic compounds are lower with the NH2 phase. On the CN phase, all interactions (hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole and charge transfer) have a nearly equivalent weight on the retention. The polymeric phases, PEG and PVA, provide the most accurate models, possibly due to their better surface homogeneity.     

Using the liquid nature of the stationary phase in counter-current chromatography V. The back-extrusion method

The main feature of counter-current chromatography (CCC) is that the stationary phase is a liquid as well as the mobile phase. The retention volumes of solutes are directly proportional to their distribution coefficients K(D) in the biphasic liquid system used in the CCC column. Solutes with high K(D) coefficients are highly retained in the column. The back-extrusion method (BECCC) uses the fact that the liquid stationary phase, that contains the retained solutes, can be easily moved. Switching the column inlet and outlet ports without changing the liquid phase used as the mobile phase causes the rapid collapse of the two immiscible liquid phases inside the column, the previously stationary phase being gathered at the new column outlet. Then this previously stationary liquid phase is extruded outside the CCC column carrying the retained solutes. The back-extrusion method is tested with a standard mixture of five compounds and compared with the recently described elution-extrusion method. It is shown that the chromatographic resolution obtained during the back-extrusion step is good because the solute band broadening is minimized as long as the solute is located inside the "stationary" phase. However, a major drawback of the BECCC method is that all solutes are split between the liquid phases according to their distribution ratios when the CCC column equilibrium is broken. The change of flowing direction should be done after a sufficient amount of mobile phase has flushed the column in the classical mode, eluting solutes with small and medium distribution ratios. Otherwise, a significant portion of the solutes will stay in the mobile phase inside the column and produce a broad peak showing after the stationary phase extrusion.     

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.     

Characterization of stationary phases in subcritical fluid chromatography by the solvation parameter model. I. Alkylsiloxane-bonded stationary phases

Varied types of alkylsiloxane-bonded and fluoroalkylsiloxane-bonded stationary phases, all commercially available, were investigated with subcritical fluid mobile phase. The effect of the alkyl chain length (from C4 to C18) and of the nature of the bonding (fluorodecylsiloxane, phenyl-C18 and polar-embedded-C18) on the chromatographic behaviour was investigated by the use of a linear solvation energy relationship (LSER), the solvation parameter model. A large set of test compounds provides precise and reliable information on the intermolecular interactions responsible for retention on these stationary phases used with a subcritical mobile phase. First of all, the results underline the close properties between subcritical fluid and organic liquid. The use of non aqueous mobile phases reduces the cavity energy and the mobile phase acidity generally encountered with aqueous liquid phases, allowing other interactions to take a part in retention. As expected, an increase in the alkyl chain length favours the dispersive interactions between the solutes and the stationary phases. Changes in basicity and acidity of the stationary phases are also related to the chain length, but, in this case, mobile phase adsorption onto the stationary phase is supposed to explain these behaviours. The addition of a phenyl group at the bottom of the C18 chain, near the silica, does not induce great modifications in the retentive properties. The fluorodecylsiloxane and the polar-embedded alkylsiloxane phases display very different properties, and can be complementary to the classical alkylsiloxane-bonded phases. In particular, the fluorinated phase does not favour the dispersive interactions, in comparison to hydrogenated stationary phases, when the basicity of the polar-embedded phase is obviously greater than the one of classical alkylsiloxane-bonded phases, due to the amide function. Finally, logk-logk curves plotted between the different phases illustrate the effect of the interaction properties on the retention of different classes of compounds.     

A unified classification of stationary phases for packed column supercritical fluid chromatography

The use of supercritical fluids as chromatographic mobile phases allows to obtain rapid separations with high efficiency on packed columns, which could favour the replacement of numerous HPLC methods by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) ones. Moreover, despite some unexpected chromatographic behaviours, general retention rules are now well understood, and mainly depend on the nature of the stationary phase. The use of polar stationary phases improves the retention of polar compounds, when C18-bonded silica favours the retention of hydrocarbonaceous compounds. In this sense, reversed-phase and normal-phase chromatography can be achieved in SFC, as in HPLC. However, these two domains are clearly separated in HPLC due to the opposite polarity of the mobile phases used for each method. In SFC, the same mobile phase can be used with both polar and non-polar stationary phases. Consequently, the need for a novel classification of stationary phases in SFC appears, allowing a unification of the classical reversed- and normal-phase domains. In this objective, the paper presents the development of a five-dimensional classification based on retention data for 94-111 solutes, using 28 commercially available columns representative of three major types of stationary phases. This classification diagram is based on a linear solvation energy relationship, on the use of solvation vectors and the calculation of similarity factors between the different chromatographic systems. This classification will be of great help in the choice of the well-suited stationary phase, either in regards of a particular separation or to improve the coupling of columns with complementary properties.     

Retention characteristics of a new butylimidazolium-based stationary phase

A new HPLC stationary phase has been synthesized based on the ionic liquid n-butylimidazolium bromide. Imidazolium was covalently immobilized on a silica substrate through an n-alkyl tether and the retention characteristics of the resulting stationary phase were evaluated systematically. Using 28 small aromatic test solutes and reversed phase conditions, the linear solvation energy relationship approach was successfully used to characterize this new phase. The retention characteristics of the test solutes show remarkable similarity with phenyl stationary phases, despite the presence of a positive charge on the new imidazolium phase. Operated in the reversed phase mode, this new stationary phase shows considerable promise for the separation of neutral solutes and points to the potential for a truly multi-modal stationary phase.     

Retention behavior of basic compounds on alkylphosphonate-modified magnesia-zirconia composite stationary phase in RPHPLC

Summary The chromatographic properties of an alkylphosphonate-modified magnesia-zirconia composite stationary phase have been investigated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with basic compounds as probes. The influence of organic modifier composition and mobile phase pH was studied. The new stationary phase, similar to a silica-based reversed-phase stationary phase, has hydrophobic properties, but greater pH stability. Use of the phase results in more symmetric peaks for basic compounds. A possible mechanism of retention of basic solutes on the new stationary phase is discussed. The chromatographic behavior of the basic solutes depends mainly on hydrophobic interactions between the solutes and the hydrophobic moiety of the stationary phase. Br?nsted acidic and basic sites on the surface of the new stationary phase play an important role in the retention of ionized solutes by ion-exchange interaction. Promising separations of some basic compounds have been achieved by use of methanolic TRIS buffer, pH 10.0, as the mobile phase.     

Selectivity of some basic solutes on a poly(methyltetradecylsiloxane)-silica stationary phase

Complex analyses of polar compounds, especially basic ones, require more selective stationary phases. The present paper describes a stationary phase prepared by thermal immobilization of poly(methyltetradecylsiloxane) onto chromatographic silica (PMTDS-SiO(2)). This stationary phase presents hydrophobic and ion-exchange interactions that confer both high retention and unique selectivities for basic solutes. The influence of ion-exchange interactions is confirmed by the increase in retention factors of basic solutes when the mobile-phase pH changes from acidic to neutral and by the decrease in retention factors when the mobile-phase pH changes from neutral to alkaline. The ion-exchange properties of the stationary phase are enriched in neutral mobile phase (pH 7-7.5) using soft Lewis bases such as tricine and tris as buffers but are suppressed in both acidic (pH 2.5-6) and highly alkaline mobile phases (pH≤10). Increasing both temperature and flow rate permits more rapid separations while maintaining the selectivity. The stability of the stationary phase is evaluated with acid, neutral and alkaline mobile phases.     

稠环芳烃在烷基膦酸改性锆镁复合氧化物固定相上的反相液相色谱保留行为

 以稠环芳烃为探针,考察了烷基膦酸改性锆镁复合氧化物材料的反相色谱性能。研究了稠环芳烃类化合物的结构与其保留值的关系,比较了烷基膦酸改性锆镁复合氧化物固定相和十八烷基键合硅胶ZorbaxODS对稠环芳烃异构体的选择性,并对可能的保留机理进行了讨论。以甲醇-水(体积比为75∶25)为流动相,在烷基膦酸改性锆镁复合氧化物固定相上分离了8种稠环芳烃类化合物。     

Retention behavior of large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on metalloprotoporphyrin-silica stationary phases

The retention behavior of large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (LPAHs) (> or = 7 rings) on newly developed metalloplotoporphyrin (MProP)-silica stationary phases is examined and the results are compared to previously reported data for retention of the same solutes on commercially available phases. HPLC columns packed with FeProP-silica are shown to exhibit unique shape selectivity for LPAH retention, with the planar LPAHs always retained much longer than corresponding non-planar solutes. Solute planarity, length to breadth ratio (L/B value), and number of carbon atoms within the LPAHs are all demonstrated to contribute to the retention sequence observed. Further, the retention of LPAH solutes on FeProP-silica phases is shown to be more predictable than on other reversed-phase columns, with the elution sequence constant regardless of the mobile phase composition. Due to the extremely high planar selectivity of FeProP-silicas with respect to LPAH retention, it is envisioned that columns packed with these phases could be used in conjunction with existing commercial columns to devise Inethods for more efficient separation of complex mixtures of LPAHs in environmental and other samples.     

Characterization of a mixed-mode reversed-phase/cation-exchange stationary phase prepared by thermal immobilization of poly(dimethylsiloxane) onto the surface of silica

A novel stationary phase prepared by the thermal immobilization of poly(dimethylsiloxane) onto the surface of silica (PDMS–SiO₂) has been described, evaluated and compared with 229 commercially available RP-LC stationary phases using the Tanaka column classification protocol. The phase exhibited many unique chromatographic properties and, based on the phases in the database, was most similar to the fluoroalkylated phases (aside from the obvious lack of fluoro selectivity imposed by the C–F dipole). The phase exhibited classic reversed-phase behaviour in acid mobile phase conditions and mixed-mode reversed-phase/cation-exchange retention behaviour in neutral mobile phase conditions. The phase exhibited acceptable stability at both low and intermediate pH, conditions which should impart optimum chromatographic selectivity to the phase. Retention of basic analytes was shown to occur by a “three site model” as proposed by Neue. This new PDMS–SiO₂ stationary phase is extremely interesting in that the dominancy of its hydrophobic and ion-exchange interactions can be controlled by the influence of mobile phase pH, buffer type and concentration. The PDMS–SiO₂ stationary phase may provide a complementary tool to reversed-phase and HILIC stationary phases. The present results highlight the fact that the type of buffer, its concentration and pH can not only affect peak shape but also retention, selectivity and hence chromatographic resolution. Therefore, in method development and optimization strategies it is suggested that more emphasis should be given to the evaluation of these mobile phase operating parameters especially when basic solutes are involved.     

Retention characteristics of a new butylimidazolium-based stationary phase. Part II: anion exchange and partitioning

A surface-confined ionic liquid (SCIL) and a commercial quaternary amine silica-based stationary phase were characterized employing the linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) method in binary methanol/water mobile phases. The retention properties of the stationary phases were evaluated in terms of intermolecular interactions between 28 test solutes and the stationary phases. The comparison reveals a difference in the hydrophobic and hydrogen bond acceptance interaction properties between the two phases. The anion exchange retention mechanism of the SCIL phase was demonstrated using nucleotides. The utility of the SCIL phase in predicting logk _IL/water values by chromatographic methods is also discussed.