Observations on the rapid size-exclusion chromatography of proteins

Summary The retention behaviour of reference proteins on commercial siliceous size-exclusion supports was studied. Sorption was observed on both surface modified and unmodified supports. When sodium dodecylsulfate was added to the aqueous mobile phase, normal elution patterns were found. With this system, proteins, such as those isolate from different alfalfa genotypes, may be compared rapidly. Comparisons were facillitated by use of on-line central data processing capability.     

Oscillatory transverse electric field enhances protein resolution and capacity of size-exclusion chromatography

Protein separations by a novel size-exclusion electrochromatography (SEEC) are presented. The present SEEC, denoted as pSEEC, was established with an oscillatory low-voltage electric field perpendicular to the mobile-phase streamline. Retention experiments with different proteins indicated that the influence of electric field strength on the partition coefficient is different for different proteins as well as for the same protein under different mobile-phase conditions. These results of protein retention led to the experimental design of protein separations with binary mixtures of BSA and immunoglobulin G (IgG), myoglobin (Myo) and lysozyme (Lys), as well as ovalbumin (Oval) and Myo. The separation results for the binary protein systems sufficiently exhibited the applicability of the pSEEC for various separations in terms of their molecular weights (MWs) as well as pIs. For example, it was possible to separate the gel-excluded proteins (BSA/IgG) as well as gel-permeable and similar-molecular-weight proteins (Myo/Lys) by the pSEEC. Moreover, in the cases of Oval/ Myo, which could be partially separated by size-exclusion chromatography, the use of the pSEEC greatly improved the resolution and the separation became possible at high sample loading. The results indicate that the pSEEC technology is promising for preparative protein separations.     

Indirect fluorimetric detection of proteins via postcolumn mixing with fluorescence probe in size-exclusion chromatography

Summary Proteins were visualized by postcolumn mixing with 2-p-toluidinyl-6-naphthalene sulfonate or 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate in size-exclusion chromatography. The indirect detection is based on fluorescence enhancement of the fluorescence probe owing to hydrophobic interaction with proteins. Bovine serum albumin gave the highest signal intensity among the proteins examined.     

Sample-induced internal pH gradients in microcolumn liquid chromatography of proteins

Summary The technique of an internal pH gradient induced by the sample is applied to the separation of proteins by liquid chromatography. Compatibility of the method with microcolumns is demonstrated and examples of separations on different types of sorbents are given.     

Theoretical study of the effect of frit quality on chromatography using computational fluid dynamics

Summary Frits at both ends of a chromatographic column, especially for a preparative column, have significant influence on the flow distribution within the column and thus the column efficiency. However, frits have received little attention from chromatographers in the past. Here a theoretical study was conducted with the aid of CFD software FLUENT to investigate the effect of frits on the performance of homogeneous and heterogeneous chromatographic columns. A dimensionless number,FQ, was applied to characterize frit quality. This study visualized how frit quality affects the flow distribution and the concentration band, the shape of eluted pulse at the colum exit and column efficiency. Simulation results show that the development length of the flow distribution is related toFQ but has nothing to do with the packing heterogeneity. The curvature of the concentration band in a column depends onFQ and packing quality. This study shows column efficiency can be improved significantly by increasingFQ and/or frit permeability.     

Quantitative determination of phospholipids in amniotic fluid by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A new quantitative analytical method for the determination of phospholipids in amniotic fluid by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described. In addition to the main compounds, phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) and sphingomyelin, the so-called minor phospholipids, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine can also be determined. Separation is achieved using a guard-column of Lichrosorb Si 60 and an analytical column of Lichrosorb DIOL. Acetonitrile/water is used as mobile phase at an elevated temperature. By determining the recovery rates, the within-run and the between-run precision, it was shown that sufficient accuracy and precision could be achieved for all the parameters examined. The method is highly sensitive, the detection limit for sphingomyelin is 0.2 μg and 0.1 μg for all the other components. A single determination of 5 phospholipids in an amniotic fluid sample takes about two hours. By performing simultaneous extractions it is possible to analyse 5 samples per day.     

Reversed-phase chromatography of proteins and peptides on compressed continuous beds

Summary The polymer beds described are synthesized in aqueous solution directly in the column or batchwise in the form of large clusters of small particles. The conventional, expensive step involving prepreparation of beads in an organic solvent is thus omitted. Beds were synthesized from piperazine diacrylamide, methacrylamide and allyl glycidyl ether. The epoxy-activated beds thus obtained were used for covalent attachment of either nonpolar ligands (e.g. octadecanol) or polar OH-rich substances (e.g. dextran). The non-polar beds were used for reversed-phase chromatography, as were polar ones following coupling with 1,2-epoxyoctadecane. Coating with OH-rich substances serves two purposes: (I) the matrix becomes hydrophilic, decreasing nonspecific interactions (modifiers can be excluded) and hence increases resolution and (II) many—OH groups are available (e.g. for coupling to epoxides), a prerequisite for high ligand density. Resolution of proteins was high even at high flow rates. Depending on the method used for the synthesis of the bed, resolution of proteins either increased with an increase in flow rate or decreased slinghtly. Choice of the correct temperature was very important for high resolution of CNRr-digested peptides.     

Separation of hordein proteins from european barley by high-performance liquid chromatography: Its application to the identification of barley cultivars

Summary High-performance liquid chromatography using either reversed phase or anion-exchange techniques was used for the fractionation of hordein proteins extracted from European barley. A reversed phase method is presented which utilises an Ultrapore column packed with a wide pore (30 nm) C-3 alkylbonded silica support. Using this method up to 20 components may be separated in 54 min. Elution profiles were found to be reproducible. A further method using rapid anion-exchange chromatography indicated that up to 13 components may be separated, a number which is comparable to that found with electrophoresis. The separation of proteins extracted from different barley cultivars indicated that on the basis of elution profiles high-performance liquid chromatography using either reversed phase or anion-exchange offers considerable potential as a method for barley cultivar identification.     

Separation and characterization of a viscosity index improver copolymer by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary Characterization of a poly(styrene-alkyl methacrylate) viscosity index improver according to its chemical composition distribution and molecular weight distribution was carried out by liquid adsorption chromatography, size exclusion chromatography and infrared and ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The industrial polymer was fractionated by liquid chromatography using silica gel as adsorbent and a mixture of 1,2-dichloroethane and methanol as mobile phase. Each fraction was analyzed by size exclusion chromatography and infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy. The number average molecular weight ranged from 10000 to 36000 and the weight average molecular weight from 19000 to 264000. The styrene content of the various fractions analysed was between 29.5% and 72.2%.     

Supercritical fluid extraction-high performance liquid chromatography on-line coupling: Extraction of some model aromatic compounds

Summary An SFE-HPLC system has been tested with a simple model aromatic mixture on spiked silica. The spiked silica was extracted with pure CO₂ and the extract retained in a trap packed with C18 material. Quantitative separation and reproducity have been investigated and are reported.     

Supercritical fluid extraction-high performance liquid chromatography on-line coupling: Extraction of some model aromatic compounds

Summary An SFE-HPLC system has been tested with a simple model aromatic mixture on spiked silica. The spiked silica was extracted with pure CO₂ and the extract retained in a trap packed with C18 material. Quantitative separation and reproducity have been investigated and are reported.     

Planarity selectivity in supercritical fluid and liquid chromatography using octadecylsilane-modified silicas with carbon dioxide

Summary The influence of column temperature and pressure on the planarity selectivity of encapsulated and polymeric octadecylsilane-modified silicas was examined using carbon dioxide mobile phase in supercritical fluid and liquid chromatography. The use of liquid carbon dioxide was found to enhance remarkably the molecular planarity recognition capability of the polymeric stationary phase compared with supercritical conditions. The influence of pressure and temperature on selectivity was seen to be significant with the polymeric phase but less with the encapsulated. It seems that pressure and temperature change the morphology of the polymeric phase to a greater extent than the encapsulated one.     

Evaluation of silica gel-immobilized phosphorylcholine columns for size exclusion chromatography and their application in the analysis of the subunit structures of fish-egg lectins

Columns of phosphorylcholine (PC) immobilized on silica gel were shown to be useful for size exclusion chromatography (SEC) of proteins. The columns provided good separation of proteins in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.9) containing 0.25 M NaCl, and there was a linear relationship between the retention times and the logarithmic values of the molecular weights with a correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.978–0.992. The columns were used in analyzing the subunit structures of the rhamnose-binding lectins CSL1, CSL2, and CSL3, isolated from chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) eggs. Although the lectins, which are a group of carbohydrate-binding and hydrophobic proteins, behaved anomalously in SEC with conventional matrices, they could be eluted from the immobilized PC columns without non-size-related retention, thereby allowing their molecular weights to be reliably estimated.     

Rapid clean-up and effective sample preparation procedure for unambiguous determination of the cyclic peptides microcystin and nodularin

Summary A new sample preparation strategy has been established to improve the identification and determination of nodularin and microcystins. The sample preparation consisted of enrichment of the analytes by solid phase extraction with C18 cartridges followed by clean-up of the enriched raw extracts by high performance size exclusion gel permeation chromatography. In contrast to established clean-up procedures based on polarity, related distribution of microcystins and nodularin in non-miscible phases (e. g. a C18 cartridge as stationary phase and a water-containing eluent as mobile phase) this strategy separates microcystins from interfering compounds by molecular size differences. The sample preparation procedure can be automated easily and was validated for both water samples as well as raw extracts of algal cells. The method was success-fully applied during an experiment with natural algae communities from the Baltic Sea to investigate the influence of different nutrient limitations on toxicity ofNodularia sp...     

分子排阻色谱硅质填料的制备及其对蛋白质的分离机理

利用自制的四种不同粒径的硅溶胶,通过堆积法来制备分子排阻色谱多孔硅质填料,该填料在进行化学键合改性后,形成二醇固定相。利用二醇固定相对蛋白质进行分离分析方面的研究。此填料粒径小,有利于蛋白质生物大分子的高效快速分离分析。     

A chromatographic comparison of the pore structure of zirconia high performance liquid chromatographic materials made by the polymerization induced colloidal aggregation and the Oil Emulsion methods

Summary The pore structures of zirconium oxide particles prepared by two different methods (PICA and Oil Emulsion processes) are compared. Nitrogen sorptometry and size exclusion chromatography are used to characterize the two different types of particles. Significant and unexpected differences were found in the accessible pore volumes and the bed packing densities of the two materials. The PICA material was found to have a higher totally included and totally excluded volume than would be normally expected. The chromatographic method provides results which are more useful for the application of these materials to separation sciences.     

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of the adsorption separation of three components in high performance liquid chromatography

Summary The four stereoisomers of nadolol were successfully separated into three groups (SRS)-nadolol and (SSR)-nadolol, (RRS)-nadolol and (RSR)-nadolol using HPLC. The adsorption equilibrium coefficients, mass transfer coefficients of the three groups and the bed voidage were experimentally determined. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the separation was carried out using FEMLAB, which is application software from MATLAB. The simulation visualized the processes of dispersion and separation occurring inside the column. The curvature of the concentration profiles within the column were observed using the simulation. The simulated chromatogram correctly predicted the peak behavior of the eluted compounds except dispersion was overestimated, which is due to the limitation of the software used.     

Separation of acid whey proteins on the preparative scale by hyperdiffusive anion exchange chromatography

Summary The eluent flow through a fixed bed of a strong anion-exchanger Q Hyper D/F packing has been characterized by mean of the residence time distribution and the separation conditions of acid whey proteins have been established. Myoglobin under non-retaining conditions was used as a test protein because its molecular weight was close to that of α-lactalbumin, the target protein of this study. In the interstitial velocity range of 44–350 cm h⁻¹ a constant reduced height equivalent to a theoretical plate of 13 was observed. Nearly pure fractions of the five main acid whey proteins were obtained on the preparative scale for a gradient slope of NaCl 1 mM mL⁻¹, in the pH range of 6–8 and an interstitial velocity of 127 cm h⁻¹ (flow rate of 2 mL min⁻¹). A separation focused on a pure fraction of α-lactalbumin was achieved at pH 7.5 and was effective up to an interstitial velocity of 500 cm h⁻¹ (flow rate of 8 mL min⁻¹). An indepth characterization of α-lactalbumin by electrospray ionization—mass spectrometry showed that 15% of α-lactalbumin was lactosylated both in the collected fraction and in the acid whey protein concentrate used as feed.     

Development of high temperature comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography hyphenated with infrared and light scattering detectors for characterization of chemical composition and molecular weight heterogeneities in polyolefin copolymers

The application of high temperature comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) liquid chromatography for quantitative characterization of chemical composition and molecular weight (MW) heterogeneities in polyolefins is demonstrated in this study by separating a physical blend of isotactic-polypropylene, ethylene-random-propylene copolymer, and high density polyethylene. The first dimension separation is based on adsorption liquid chromatography that fractionates the blend from low to high ethylene content. The second dimension is size-exclusion chromatography connected with light scattering (LS) and infrared (IR) detectors. The IR detector shows desired sensitivity and linearity for monitoring analyte concentrations in the eluent after 2D separations. In addition, the compositions of the analytes are also determined from the ratio of two IR absorbances at the specified wavelength regions, an absorbance for measuring the level of methyl groups in polyolefins and another absorbance for measuring concentration. The LS detector is used to determine absolute molecular weight of the analytes from the ratio of the light scattering signal to the IR concentration signal. The ability to obtain concentration, chemical composition, and MW of polyolefins after 2D separation provides new opportunities to discover structure-property relationships for polyolefins with complex structures/architectures.     

Parameters affecting the separation of intact proteins in gradient-elution reversed-phase chromatography using poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) monolithic capillary columns

An experimental study was performed to investigate the effects of column parameters and gradient conditions on the separation of intact proteins using styrene-based monolithic columns. The effect of flow rate on peak width was investigated at constant gradient steepness by normalizing the gradient time for the column hold-up time. When operating the column at a temperature of 60 °C a small C-term effect was observed in a flow rate range of 1–4 μL/min. However, the C-term effect on peak width is not as strong as the decrease in peak width due to increasing flow rate. The peak capacity increased according to the square root of the column length. Decreasing the macropore size of the polymer monolith while maintaining the column length constant, resulted in an increase in peak capacity. A trade-off between peak capacity and total analysis time was made for 50, 100, and 250 mm long monolithic columns and a microparticulate column packed with 5 μm porous silica particles while operating at a flow rate of 2 μL/min. The peak capacity per unit time of the 50 mm long monolithic column with small pore size was superior when the total analysis time is below 120 min, yielding a maximum peak capacity of 380. For more demanding separations the 250 mm long monolith provided the highest peak capacity in the shortest possible time frame.