On-line concentration of neutral and charged species in capillary electrochromatography with a methacrylate-based monolithic stationary phase

A method involving self-concentration, on-column enrichment and field-amplified sample stacking for on-line concentration in capillary electrochromatography with a polymer monolithic column is presented. Since monolithic columns eliminate the frit fabrication and the problems associated with frits, the experimental conditions could be more flexibly adjusted to obtain higher concentration factor in comparison with conventional particulate packed columns. With self-concentration effect, the detection sensitivity of benzene and hexylbenzene is improved by a factor of 4 and 8, respectively. With on-column enrichment and ultralong injection, improvement as high as 22,000 times in detection sensitivity of benzoin is achieved. Furthermore, a combination of the three above-mentioned methods yields up to a 24,000-fold improvement in detection sensitivity for caffeine, a charged compound. Parameters affecting the efficiency of on-line concentration are investigated systematically. In addition, equations describing on-line concentration process are deduced.     

Preparation and evaluation of a neutral methacrylate-based monolithic column for hydrophilic interaction stationary phase by pressurized capillary electrochromatography

A polar and neutral polymethacrylate-based monolithic column was evaluated as a hydrophilic interaction capillary electrochromatography (HI-CEC) stationary phase with small polar–neutral or charged solutes. The polar sites on the surface of the monolithic solid phase responsible for hydrophilic interactions were provided from the hydroxy and ester groups on the surface of the monolithic stationary phase. These polar functionalities also attract ions from the mobile phase and impart the monolithic solid phase with a given zeta potential to generate electro-osmotic flow (EOF). The monolith was prepared by in situ copolymerization of a neutral monomer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and a polar cross-linker with hydroxy group, pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA), in the presence of a binary porogenic solvent consisting cyclohexanol and dodecanol. A typical HI-CEC mechanism was observed on the neutral polar stationary phase for both neutral and charged analytes. The composition of the polymerization mixture was systematically altered and optimized by altering the amount of HEMA in the polymerization solution as well as the composition of the porogenic solvent. The monoliths were tested in the pCEC mode. The resulting monoliths had different characteristics of hydrophilicity, column permeability, and efficiency. The effects of pH, salt concentration, and organic solvent content on the EOF velocity and the separation of nucleic acids and nucleosides on the optimized monolithic column were investigated. The optimized monolithic column resulted in good separation and with greater than 140,000 theoretical plates/m for pCEC.     

Protein separation by monolithic capillary electrochromatography

This work presents the separation of model proteins by capillary electrochromatography involving a monolithic stationary phase with C4 functionality. The monolith was fabricated in UV-transparent capillaries by employing a slight modification of a recently published photopolymerization procedure. With the number of theoretical plates per column ranging between 11000 and 33000, the separation efficiency proved to be lower than capillary zone electrophoresis where plate numbers ranged between 18000 and 66000. However, higher resolution was obtained due to the additional chromatographic separation mechanism. Inter- and intra-column reproducibility were evaluated, the latter could be significantly improved when using a rinsing procedure that contained 0.05% sodium dodecylsulfate in the mobile phase. Plate heights became nearly independent of mobile phase velocities higher than 0.5 mm/s indicating that high velocities can be applied without sacrificing efficiency. Furthermore, peak heights showed a dependence on injection times. For proteins, an increase in capacity factors was found when increasing the percentage of organic solvent in the mobile phase.     

原位聚合法制备碳十八甲基丙烯酸酯聚合物及其用作开管毛细管电色谱固定相

以十八碳醇甲基丙烯酸酯为单体、乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂,采用原位聚合法合成了一种新型毛细管开管柱固定相,优化了毛细管开管柱的制备参数。柱内表面的电镜图像显示其具有多孔皱褶、质地均匀的结构特征。将其应用于甲苯、乙苯、丙苯、丁苯、戊苯和己苯的分离试验中,6种化合物达到了完全分离,出峰顺序与它们的疏水性一致,表明该柱有明显的疏水色谱作用。在10 mmol/L磷酸盐(pH 8.5,含50%(v/v)乙腈)流动相、16 kV电压下,该开管柱成功地分离了4种抗癫痫类药物,柱效范围为35300~49800 塔板/m,与空柱管相比分离效果明显提高。结果表明通过本实验的原位聚合法可制备具有反相色谱作用的有机基质碳十八开管毛细管电色谱柱。     

Assay of vitamin B in urine by capillary electrochromatography with methacrylate-based monolithic column

A novel and simple method for the separation of major vitamin B analytes, such as thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinamide, vitamin B4, pyridoxine, has been developed by CEC using the monolithic column. It has been found that the baseline separation of the five analytes could be achieved with 5.0 mM phosphate buffer at pH 4.0. Compared with the open-tubular capillary and the bared capillary columns, the poly(butylmethacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolithic capillary could exhibit the best resolution in the analysis. Then the method was validated and the linear calibration ranges were obtained with correlation coefficients more than 0.997. The precision and the recovery were also investigated and showed a good result. Furthermore, the proposed method was successfully applied to assay the concentration of vitamin B analytes and the metabolic situation in human urine samples.     

Investigation of the ion-exchange properties of methacrylate-based mixed-mode monolithic stationary phases employed as stationary phases in capillary electrochromatography

The potential of methacrylate-based mixed-mode monolithic stationary phases bearing sulfonic acid groups for the separation of positively charged analytes (alkylanilines, amino acids, and peptides) by capillary electrochromatography (CEC) is investigated. The retention mechanism of protonated alkylanilines as positively charged model solutes on these negatively charged mixed-mode stationary phases is investigated by studying the influence of mobile phase and stationary phase parameters on the corrected retention factor which was calculated by taking the electrophoretic mobility of the solutes into consideration. It is shown that both solvophobic and ion-exchange interactions contribute to the retention of these analytes. The dependence of the corrected retention factor on (1) the concentration of the counter ion ammonium and (2) the number of methylene groups in the alkyl chain of the model analytes investigated shows clearly that a one-site model (solvophobic and ion-exchange interactions take place simultaneously at a single type of site) has to be taken to describe the retention behaviour observed. Comparison of the CEC separation of these charged analytes with electrophoretic mobilities determined by open-tubular capillary electrophoresis shows that mainly chromatographic interactions (solvophobic and ion-exchange interactions) are responsible for the selectivity observed in CEC, while the electrophoretic migration of these analytes plays only a minor role.     

Preparation of monolithic silica column with strong cation-exchange stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography

A monolithic silica based strong cation-exchange stationary phase was successfully prepared for capillary electrochromatography. The monolithic silica matrix from a sol-gel process was chemically modified by treatment with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane followed by a chemical oxidation procedure to produce the desired function. The strong cation-exchange stationary phase was characterized by its substantial and stable electroosmotic flow (EOF), and it was observed that the EOF value of the prepared column remained almost unchanged at different buffer pH values and slowly decreased with increasing phosphate concentration in the mobile phase. The monolithic silica column with strong cation-exchange stationary phase has been successfully employed in the electrochromatographic separation of beta-blockers and alkaloids extracted from traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). The column efficiencies for the tested beta-blockers varied from 210,000 to 340,000 plates/m. A peak compression effect was observed for atenolol with the mobile phase having a low phosphate concentration.     

Recognition of oxytocin by capillary electrochromatography with monolithic tetrapeptide-imprinted polymer used as the stationary phase

Using YPLG (Tyr-Pro-Leu-Gly), a tetrapeptide, as the template, an imprinted monolithic column was prepared and applied to the selective recognition of oxytocin based on the epitope approach and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). By optimizing the polymerization solution in terms of functional monomer, cross-linking reagent, porogen, and imprinted template via CEC evaluations of synthesized columns, an imprinted monolith with good recognition capacity (the imprinting factors for YPLG and oxytocin were 4.499 and 4.013, respectively) and high column efficiency (theoretical plates for YPLG and oxytocin were 22,995 plates/m and 16,952 plates/m, respectively) was achieved. In addition, the effects of various experimental parameters on the recognition of oxytocin, including the organic modifier content, the buffer concentration, and the pH value, were studied systematically. Furthermore, a mixture of oxytocin and other proteins was analyzed using this monolithic CEC column, and oxytocin was eluted much more slowly than other large biomolecules, which demonstrated the high selective recognition ability of such an imprinted monolith for oxytocin with PLG (Pro-Leu-Gly) as the epitope. Figure Separation of a mixture of oxytocin, BSA, bovine hemoglobin, ovalbumin, and lysozyme on the open column, the blank monolithic column, and the monolithic YPLG-imprinted column     

Polymeric monolithic stationary phases for capillary electrochromatography

This review summarizes the contributions of a number of groups working in the rapidly growing area of monolithic columns for capillary electrochromatography (CEC), with a focus on those prepared from synthetic polymers. Monoliths have quickly become a well-established stationary phase format in the field of CEC. The simplicity of their in situ preparation method as well as the good control over their porous properties and surface chemistries make the monolithic separation media an attractive alternative to capillary columns packed with particulate materials. A wide variety of approaches as well as materials used for the preparation of the monolithic stationary phases are detailed. Their excellent chromatographic performance is demonstrated by numerous separations of different analytes.     

Separation of basic and acidic compounds by capillary electrochromatography using monolithic silica capillary columns with zwitterionic stationary phase

A novel monolithic silica column with zwitterionic stationary phase was prepared by in-situ covalent attachment of phenylalanine to a 3-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane-modified silica monolith. Due to the zwitterionic nature of the resulting stationary phase, the density and sign of the net surface charge, and accordingly the direction and magnitude of electroosmotic flow in this column during capillary electrochromatography could be manipulated by adjusting the pH values of the mobile phase. CEC separations of various acidic and basic compounds were performed on the prepared column in anodic and weakly cathodic EOF modes, respectively. The peak tailing of basic compounds in CEC on a silica column could be alleviated at optimized buffer compositions. Besides the electrophoretic mechanism and weak hydrophobic interaction, weak cation- and anion-exchange interactions are also involved in the separations of acids and bases, respectively, on the zwitterionic column.     

Theoretical and nomenclatural considerations of capillary electrochromatography with monolithic stationary phases

During the past decade, CEC has been one of the few novel achievements in the field of separation science attracting a wide interest. The technology progress permitted the realization of the long-sought idea to employ an electroosmotically driven flow through the columns improving the separations in terms of both resolution and efficiency. The early practical obstacles related to the use of conventional bead-packed columns have been solved by the introduction of continuous beds, also known as monoliths. Hitherto, various synthesis approaches have been successfully developed producing monolithic beds in situ in capillary columns, sharing similar physical structure built up of tiny particles (in the sub-microm range) that are covalently linked together and to the capillary wall. Parallel with the practical column technology studies, the theory of electrochromatography has been continuously developed, focusing on such basic issues as EOF characterization, separation efficiency, and peak dispersion effects. This review provides a short introduction to the theory of CEC with special attention to monolithic separation beds. The paper also summarizes the latest achievements in CEC and discusses the nomenclature, EOF characteristics, and some specific advantages of monolithic column technology.     

手性整体柱在加压毛细管电色谱中拆分地匹福林对映体

采用一步原位键合法制备了环糊精衍生物毛细管整体柱,在加压毛细管电色谱模式下,对盐酸地匹福林对映体进行了手性分离,并考察了以NaH2PO4作为流动相时电解质溶液pH值、柱温及分离电压等因素对分离的影响.在优化的实验条件下,地匹福林对映体达到了基线分离.     

Metallomesogenic stationary phase for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography

A synthetic coppermesogenic polymer is prepared and then covalently bonded to the siloxane-based deactivated column as the stationary phases of open-tubular CEC with essentially high phase ratio. The EOF generated from the modified phase is surveyed through conventional aqueous buffers and hydroorganic mobile phases. Zeta potentials, which are computed from the EOF data and the ratio of dielectric constant to viscosity, are plotted as a function of pH, ionic molarity, and compositional range. These plots responsible for the electroosmotic characteristic of the bonded phases are found to be like those of bare fused-silica or deactivated columns through decreasing or increasing the ACN content in the mobile phase, respectively. This two-phase characteristic is basically derived from the polymeric configuration with carboxylato ligands attached onto the polysiloxane backbone. Phthalates and amino acids are suitable probes to examine the two phenomena, more-polar and less-polar mediums, respectively, and to judge whether the chromatographic retention is the major source of separation mechanism. With the mixing modes of Lewis acid-base interaction, dispersive force, and shape discrimination, the chromatographic partition adequately accomplishes the uneasily resolved separations by only CZE mode, although the electrophoretic migration is truly somewhat involved.     

Enantiomeric separation by capillary electrochromatography using monolithic capillaries with sol-gel-glued cyclodextrin-modified silica particles

By an on-column sol-gel process, a chiral monolithic stationary phase was prepared by the fusion of permethyl-beta-cyclodextrin-silica (Chira-Dex-silica) particles and by linking them to the internal capillary wall. The resulting monolith is stable toward voltage (30 kV) and pressure (300 bar) and possesses a high efficiency (up to 100,000 theoretical plates per meter). Efficient enantiomeric separation of various chiral compounds by pressure-supported capillary electrochromatography (CEC) was achieved. When comparing this method to capillary liquid chromatography (LC) employing the same column in an unified equipment, CEC shows a twofold higher column efficiency at comparable elution times and hence better resolution factors.     

Physically adsorbed chiral stationary phase of avidin on monolithic silica column for capillary electrochromatography and capillary liquid chromatography

The physical adsorption method proposed previously has been successfully applied to a monolithic silica column. By virtue of the physical adsorption, a chiral stationary phase of avidin was prepared onto the silica monolith. The phase ratio of resulting stationary phase was evaluated with frontal analysis. The method proved to be comparable in phase ratio to the chemical bonding methods used in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Enantiomer separations were carried out in capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and capillary liquid chromatography (CLC) modes. Due to its larger phase ratio, the resulting column showed more powerful separation capability as compared to open-tubular CEC (OTCEC). Twelve chiral compounds were baseline-resolved. The resulting column showed high separation efficiency, with average theoretical plate numbers of 66 000/m for CLC and 122 000/m for CEC. Good reproducibility was observed, with RSD value less than 1.3% for retention time, retention factor and separation factor, and less than 6.6% for plate counts and resolution (n = 40). Fast separations were achieved with a short column. The test enantiomers were baseline-resolved within 4 min under CLC and CEC modes. In addition, field-enhanced sample injection (FESI) was coupled to CLC as well as CEC to improve the detection sensitivity.     

Separation of enantiomers by packed capillary electrochromatography on a cellulose-based stationary phase

Separation of enantiomers was performed by applying packed capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Fused-silica capillaries of different lengths with an inner diameter of 100 microm were packed with a cellulose derivative immobilized onto macroporous silica gel. Parameters such as content of modifier in the mobile phase, concentration and pH of the buffer were varied for a set of test capillaries to determine their influence on enantioselectivity. In packed CEC the highest influence on resolution of the test racemates was found by changing the acetonitrile content, while variation of the buffer concentration mostly affects the electroosmotic velocity. The performance of packed CEC and nano-LC was also compared. Packed CEC showed much better column efficiency and enantioselectivity under similar flow/electroosmotic velocity.     

Rapid separation and determination of microcystins using monolithic columns in isocratic elution mode by pressurized capillary electrochromatography

As a new wave of technology, polymethacrylate-based monolithic column was prepared and its application in the separation of three kinds of microcystins (MCs) in pressurized capillary electrochromatography with ultraviolet detection was studied. The key factors affecting the separation performance, such as monolithic column, pressure of the pump, component and concentration of mobile phase and the voltage, were investigated and optimized in detail. A baseline separation could be achieved in less than 6 min using a 5 mM borate buffer with a pH of 9.6 and 10% acetonitrile as the mobile phases in isocratic elution, under a voltage of +13 kV and a supplementary pressure of 7.5 MPa. The calibration curves were linear with correlation coefficient r>0.998 over a range of 0.10-25.00 mg/L. The LODs for the three MCs were in the range of 0.03-0.09 mg/L. This method was successfully applied to separate MCs from other compounds in spiked tap water after solid-phase extraction. The lower LODs for MC-LR, MC-YR and MC-RR were obtained to be 0.10, 0.13, 0.16 microg/L, respectively. These results make it clear that this proposed system is accurate and robust enough to be used as a fast separation tool for routine monitoring of MCs in real water samples.     

Development and application of polymeric monolithic stationary phases for capillary electrochromatography

Monolithic columns for capillary electrochromatography are receiving quite remarkable attention. This review summarizes results excerpted from numerous papers concerning this rapidly growing area with a focus on monoliths prepared from synthetic polymers. Both the simplicity of the in situ preparation and the large number of readily available chemistries make the monolithic separation media a vital alternative to capillary columns packed with particulate materials. Therefore, they are now a well-established stationary phase format in the field of capillary electrochromatography. A wide variety of synthetic approaches as well as materials used for the preparation of the monolithic stationary phases are presented in detail. The analytical potential of these columns is demonstrated with separations involving various families of compounds and different chromatographic modes.     

Pressurized-flow anion-exchange capillary electrochromatography using a polymeric ion-exchange stationary phase

The feasibility of using capillary columns equipped with silica frits and packed with a polymer-based anion exchanger (Dionex AS9-HC) for CEC separations of inorganic anions has been investigated. Experiments using a conventional 25 cm packed bed, and mobile phase flow that is a combination of hydrodynamic and electroosmotic flow were used to demonstrate that by varying the applied voltage (electrophoresis component) or the concentration of the competing ion in the mobile phase (ion-exchange component), considerable changes in the separation selectivity could be obtained. Using an artificial neural network, this separation system was modelled and the results obtained used to determine the optimum conditions (9 mM perchlorate and −10 kV) for the separation of eight inorganic anions. When a short (8 cm) packed bed was used, with detection immediately following the packed section, the separation of eight test analytes in under 2.2 min was possible using pressure-driven flow and a simple step voltage gradient. A more rapid separation of these analytes was obtained by only applying high voltage (−30 kV), where many of the same analytes were separated in less than 20 s and with a different separation selectivity to that obtained in conventional ion-exchange or capillary electrophoresis separations.