Separation of aromatic amines by an open‐tubular capillary electrochromatography method

A new and simple open‐tubular CEC (OT‐CEC) method with a novel diblock copolymer poly(butyl methacrylate)₇₁‐block‐poly(glycidyl methacrylate)₉ as the coating based on its self‐assembled properties has been developed. Compared with the bare capillary, this coating could act as a surfactant and improve the separation efficiency of aromatic amines. Meanwhile, the effects of pH value, buffer concentration, and the copolymer block ratio on the separation efficiencies were investigated in detail. It has been found that the three tested aromatic amines could be baseline separated by the OT‐CEC method with the cooperation of SDS. The proposed OT‐CEC method showed good repeatability with RSDs <3.2% for testing the EOF. Moreover, it was also well validated by satisfactory linearity and favorable recovery, which ensured its successful application in the separation of aromatic amines in nail polish samples. The results revealed the potential applicability of the OT‐CEC method in cosmetic analysis.     

Porous layer open-tubular column with styrene and itaconic acid-copolymerized polymer as stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography–mass spectrometry

Enhancing the specific surface area of stationary phase is important in chromatographic science, especially in open-tubular column in which the coating only exists on the inner surface. In this work, a porous layer open-tubular (PLOT) column with stationary phase of styrene and itaconic acid-copolymerized polymer was developed. Thermal-initiated polymerization method with strategies like controlling the ratio of reaction reagents to solvents and reaction time, confinement by the narrow inner diameter of capillary were used for preparing the stationary phase with uniform structure and relatively thick layer. Due to the high separation efficiency and capacity, the PLOT column was used for capillary electrochromatography (CEC) separation of multiple groups of analytes like alkylbenzenes, phenyl amines, phenols, vanillins, and sulfonamides with theoretical plates (N) up to 1,54,845 N/m. In addition, due to high permeability of the CEC column and large electroosmotic flow mobility generated by abundant carboxyl groups in the coating material, the PLOT-CEC column was successfully coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) through a sheath flow interface. The developed PLOT-CEC-MS method was used for the analysis of antiseptics like parabens and herbicides like pyridines.     

Multimodal open-tubular capillary electrochromatographic analysis of amines and peptides

This study describes a comparison of different modes of open-tubular electrochromatography (OTCEC) in bare and etched capillaries. To carry out the investigation, the separation of impurities of two synthetic peptides and the separation of a mixture of five heterocyclic aromatic amines were studied. Three different types of stationary phase were evaluated: (i) fluorosurfactants (anionic and zwitterionic) adsorbed in the inner wall of the capillary (electrochromatography with dynamically modified stationary phases (DMS)CEC); (ii) physically adsorbed polymers (DMA-SO(3-) and DMA-N(+)(CH(3))(3)) and (iii) chemically modified capillaries (C(18), cholesteryl 10-undecanoate and diol). The results confirm that electrochromatography can be a viable alternative to capillary electrophoresis (CE) and liquid chromatography, more established separation techniques. It is possible to differentiate some minor species for the synthetic peptides that cannot be resolved by CE or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Moreover the separation of the amine mixture depends strongly on the stationary phase used.     

A novel amphipathic block copolymer coating forming micelle-like aggregates for separation of steroids in open tubular capillary electrochromatography

A new amphipathic block copolymer, poly(tert-butyl acrylate)₁₂₇-block-poly(glycidyl methacrylate)₈₆, was developed for the coating in open tubular capillary electrochromatography. The self-assembly characters of the coating, which could form micelle-like aggregates under proper conditions, were observed by atomic force microscopy. Compared with bare capillary, this coating could act as surfactant and lead to improve the separation of steroids. In addition, the influence of pH, buffer concentration and organic solvents on the separation was investigated. The best separation of the three model steroid analytes could be achieved using 20.0 mM borate buffer at pH 10.5. For covalent bonding, the coating showed good repeatability and stability with RSD of u_EOF less than 3.3%. Then, this proposed method was well validated with good linearity (≥0.999), recovery (91.0-94.0%) and repeatability, and was successfully used for separation of steroids in spiked serum samples, which indicated that this new OT-CEC method could provide a potential tool to determine steroids in real biological system without interference.     

Capillary electrophoresis of amphipathic alpha-helical peptide diastereomers

We have made a rigorous assessment of the ability of capillary electrophoresis to resolve peptide diastereomers through its application to the separation of a series of synthetic 18-residue, amphipathic alpha-helical monomeric peptide analogues, where a single site in the centre of the hydrophobic face of the alpha-helix is substituted by 19 L- or D-amino acids. Such L- and D-peptide pairs have the same mass-to-charge ratio, amino acid sequence and intrinsic hydrophobicity, varying only in the stereochemistry of one residue. CE approaches assessed in their ability to separate diastereomeric peptide pairs included capillary zone electrophoresis (uncoated capillary), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (uncoated capillary in the presence of 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate, CHAPS), open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (C(8)-coated capillary in the presence of 25% 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) or 25% ethanol). Overall, the OT-CEC methods were the most effective at separating the most peptide pairs, particularly for those containing hydrophilic side chains. However, the MEKC approach proved most effective for separation of peptide pairs containing hydrophobic or aromatic side chains.     

连续二维开管离子交换/反相整体柱毛细管电色谱的构建与评价

在毛细管中原位合成反相整体色谱柱,并在同一根毛细管柱中的其余部分通过在内表面涂覆N-[3-(三甲氧基硅烷)-丙基)]-乙二胺(PEDA)使其具有离子交换功能,制备成连续二维开管离子交换/反相整体柱毛细管电色谱柱.通过对7种有机酸的分离探讨了开管柱中离子交换对分离的影响,进一步以天麻提取物为样品,对二维分离系统加以评价,...     

A block copolymer covalent coating acting as surfactants in separation of 2-[hydroxy(4-nitrophenyl)methyl]-cyclopent-2-enone and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde by capillary electrophoresis

An innovative block copolymer capillary coating P(MAn-alt-St)₁₂₇-b-PSt₅₉₂, synthesized by maleic anhydride and styrene, was developed as a new kind of coating for capillary electrophoresis. The covalent bond coating was effectively applied in the separation of raw material (4-nitrobenzaldehyde) and production (2-[hydroxy(4-nitrophenyl)methyl]-cyclopent-2-enone) in a Baylis-Hillman reaction using ammonium acetate with 20% tetrahydrofuran (v/v) as the buffer solution. Electroosmotic flow measurement gave an instantly stable value after 70 times continued injection in 5 days and showed that P(MAn-alt-St)₁₂₇-b-PSt₅₉₂ coatings could suppress electroosmotic flow effectively compared with the bare capillary. The effects of tetrahydrofuran and the pH of buffer on the separation were investigated. The characteristics of the coatings to form micelles similar to surfactants were detected by atomic force microscopy. Moreover, the superiority of this coating was further applied in the separation of four aromatic amines.     

Open tubular capillary electrochromatography with block co-polymer coating for separation of β-lactam antibiotics

Unique block co-polymer P(MAn-St-NIPAm) has been successfully synthesized by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer radical polymerization protocol. Based on the tunable hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of the block co-polymer, a new open tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC) system has been constructed with the prepared block co-polymer as the coating and applied in analysis of β-lactam antibiotics in serum samples.     

Repartition effect of aromatic polyaniline coatings on the separation of bioactive peptides in capillary electrophoresis

The capillary walls of fused-silica capillary electrophoresis (CE) columns were modified with a thin film of polyaniline (PANI), providing open-tubular columns with a stable coating containing aromatic groups and amine functionalities. Fast and efficient separations were observed for small bioactive peptides under acidic conditions on PANI-coated columns. The mechanism of separation is based on hydrophobic interactions between the analytes and the polymeric matrix. Good reproducibility was observed from run-to-run. Due to the simple derivatization procedure, method flexibility, the uniformity of the coating and its stability, conjugated polymers could find practical application in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separations.     

Recent innovations in enantiomer separation by electrochromatography utilizing modified cyclodextrins as stationary phases.

Enantiomer separation by electrochromatography employing modified cyclodextrins as stationary phases is performed in two ways. (i) Polysiloxane-linked permethylated beta-cyclodextrin (Chirasil-Dex 1) or related selectors are coated and immobilized onto the inner surface of a capillary column. Enantiomer separation is performed in the open tube and the method is referred to as open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (o-CEC). (ii) Silica-linked native beta-cyclodextrin, permethylated beta-cyclodextrin (Chira-Dex 2) or hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin are filled into a capillary column and the bed is secured by two frits. Enantiomer separation is performed in a packed column and the method is referred to as packed capillary electrochromatography (p-CEC). In a unified instrumental approach, method (i) as well as method (ii) can be operated both in the electro- and pressure-driven modes (o-CEC vs. open-tubular liquid chromatography (o-LC) and p-CEC vs. p-LC). It is demonstrated that the electro-driven variant affords higher efficiencies at comparable elution times. Employing a single open-tubular column coated with Chirasil-Dex 1, a unified enantioselective approach can be realized in which the same selectand is separated using all existing chromatographic modes for enantiomers, i.e., gas chromatography (GC), super-critical fluid chromatography (SFC), o-LC and o-CEC. As the chiral selector is utilized as a stationary phase, an additional chiral selector may be added to the mobile phase. In the resulting dual chiral recognition systems, enhancement of enantioselectivity (matched case) or compensation of enantioselectivity (mismatched case) may be observed. The overall enantioselectivity is dependent on the sense of enantioselectivity of the selectors chosen and their influence on the electrophoretic and electroosmotic migration of the enantiomers of a selectand.     

Stationary phases for capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography

An overview of the most recent developments in column technology employed in capillary electrophoresis (CE) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC), mainly for the separation of small molecules and ions, is presented. Particular emphasis is laid on permanent coating. The wall modification methods in CE include covalent modification, adsorbed coatings and polymeric coatings, while those in CEC include packed columns, open-tubular columns and fritless columns. A short discussion on the characterization and selectivity of the bonded phases is also given.     

Open tubular columns with mixed‐mode reversed‐phase and weak anion‐exchange stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography

Columns for open tubular capillary electrochromatography, coated with a mixed‐mode (RP/ion‐exchange) stationary phase, were prepared by using the sol–gel method. The synthetic procedure was optimized by changing the ratios of tetraethoxysilane, octyltriethoxysilane, and 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane in the initial sol. SEM studies reveal that a coating with about 400 nm thickness can be obtained. The inner surface properties of these capillaries were probed by measuring the EOF as a function of pH. The surface of this stationary phase contains octyl, amine, and residual silanol moieties; the amine and silanol groups determine the net charge on the inner surface of the capillary and can produce a switchable EOF (anodal/cathodal). The performances of the columns were evaluated by open tubular capillary electrochromatography using a wide range of compounds (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic acids, and aromatic amines).     

Nanochitosan crosslinked with polyacrylamide as the chiral stationary phase for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography

Nanoparticles exhibiting favorable surface-to-volume ratios create efficient stationary phases for electrochromatography. New nanomaterials derived from chitosan (CS) were immobilized onto modified capillaries for use as the chiral stationary phase (CSP) in open-tubular electrochromatography. This immobilization was achieved through the copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate-modified nano-CS with methacrylamide (MAA) and bis-acrylamide crosslinkers (forming the MAA-CS capillary) rather than the attachment of nano-CS to the copolymer of glycidyl methacrylate, MAA, and bis-acrylamide (forming the MAA+CS capillary). The completed MAA-CS capillary and its precursors were examined by SEM and ATR-IR measurements. Before separating chiral samples, the MAA-CS capillary was characterized by electroosmotic flow measurements at varying pH values, concentrations, and volume percentages of organic modifiers in the running buffers. Tryptophan enantiomers were well separated by the MAA-CS capillary, whereas no enantioselectivity was observed in the MAA+CS capillary. With the addition of 80% MeOH into the phosphate buffer, the chiral separation of (±)-catechin was accomplished in a normal-phase mode. However, the new CSP has its limitations, as only two groups of α-tocopherol stereoisomers were separated.     

Underivatized cyclic olefin copolymer as substrate material and stationary phase for capillary and microchip electrochromatography

We report, for the first time, the use of underivatized cyclic olefin copolymer (COC, more specifically: Topas) as the substrate material and the stationary phase for capillary and microchip electrochromatography (CEC), and demonstrate chromatographic separations without the need of coating procedures. Electroosmotic mobility measurements in a 25 microm id Topas capillary showed a significant cathodic EOF that is pH-dependent. The magnitude of the electroosmotic mobility is comparable to that found in glass substrates and other polymeric materials. Open-tubular CEC was employed to baseline-separate three neutral compounds in an underivatized Topas capillary with plate heights ranging from 5.3 to 12.7 microm. The analytes were detected using UV absorbance at 254 nm, thus taking advantage of the optical transparency of Topas at short wavelengths. The fabrication of a Topas-based electrochromatography microchip by nanoimprint lithography is also presented. The microchip has an array of pillars in the separation column to increase the surface area. The smallest features that were successfully imprinted were around 2 microm wide and 5 microm high. No plasma treatment was used during the bonding, thus keeping the surface properties of the native material. An RP microchip electrochromatography separation of three fluorescently labeled amines is demonstrated on the underivatized microchip with plate heights ranging from 3.4 to 22 microm.     

Use of nanoparticles in capillary and microchip electrochromatography

Applications of nanoparticles are of rising interest in separation science, due to their favorable surface-to-volume ratio as well as their applicability in miniaturization. A stationary phase with large surface area in combination with an electroosmotic flow-driven system has great potential in a highly efficient separation system. This review covers the use of various nanoparticles as stationary or pseudostationary phase in capillary and microchip electrochromatography. The use of nanoparticles in pseudostationary phase capillary electrochromatography and open-tubular capillary electrochromatography are thoroughly discussed. The stationary and pseudostationary phases that are described include polymer nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, silica nanoparticles, fullerenes and carbon nanotubes.     

新型β-环糊精衍生物/硅基杂化手性固定相制备及评价

以脲氨基-β-环糊精硅基衍生物为手性单体,1,2-二(三乙氧基硅烷)乙烷(BTEE)为硅源,十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)为模板,采用水热合成法制备脲氨基β-环糊精衍生物/硅基手性杂化材料(β-CD/PMOs)。以其为手性固定相制备一种新型毛细管电色谱开管柱,通过IR和SEM对固定相的结构和形貌进行表征。结果表明,固定相成功键合在毛细管内,并保留了固定相原有的球形结构。以硫脲为标记物,测得平均柱效在11698.4 plates/m以上,日内、日间及柱间柱效的相对标准偏差(RSD)(n=7)均≤1.31%,且成功拆分D,L-组氨酸,达到基线分离。可见,该开管柱具有良好的重现性、稳定性和手性拆分能力。     

A mesoporous silica nanoparticles immobilized open-tubular capillary column with a coating of cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl-carbamate) for enantioseparation in CEC

An approach of immobilizing mobile crystalline material (MCM)-41 mesoporous silica nanoparticles on the inner wall of an open-tubular (OT) capillary as the support for coating chiral selector of cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl-carbamate) (CDMPC) was carried out. By taking advantage of the improved phase ratio of OT capillary with the immobilization of MCM-41 mesoporous material, the cellulose derivative of CDMPC as the chiral selector was simply coated on the MCM-41 nanoparticle layer via the hydrogen-bonding interaction, and the enantioseparation was successively carried out. Eight pairs of acidic, neutral and basic enantiomers were resolved in capillary electrochromatography or capillary liquid chromatography mode. The concentration of CDMPC for coating was systematically investigated to obtain the optimized chromatographic properties on enantioseparation by controlling the supposed film thickness of CDMPC on MCM-41 nanoparticle layer. Comparing with a bare fused silica capillary column coated with CDMPC under the same coating procedure as MCM-41-modified capillary did, the MCM-41-modified capillary column offered much higher enantioselectivity. This result indicated the significance of using the mesoporous nanoparticles as the electrochromatographic support to enhance the phase ratio of OT capillary column in capillary electrochromatography and capillary liquid chromatography. For investigating the effect of experimental conditions on the enantioseparation with this prepared OT capillary column, the content of organic modifier acetonitrile in the mobile phase was thus extensively evaluated to achieve a better chiral separation.     

Recent progress in enantiomer separation by capillary electrochromatography

Enantiomer separation by electrochromatography (CEC) can be performed in three modes: (i) open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (o-CEC), in which the chiral selector is physically adsorbed coated, and thermally immobilized or covalently attached to the internal capillary wall; (ii) packed capillary electrochromatography (p-CEC), in which the capillary is either filled with chiral modified silica particles or with an achiral packing material, and a chiral selector is added to the mobile phase; and (iii) monolithic (rod)-capillary electrochromatography (rod-CEC) in which the chiral stationary phase (CSP) consists of a single piece of porous solid. We present an overview on methods and new trends in the field of electrochromatographic enantiomer separation such as CEC with either nonaqueous mobile phases or stationary phases with incorporated permanent charges, or with packing beds consisting of nonporous silica particles or particles with very small internal diameters.     

开管毛细管电色谱分析3种解热镇痛药物

针对生物体液样品开展药物的绿色高效毛细管电泳分离分析具有重要的研究意义。该研究以3种解热镇痛药（4-氨基安替比林、氨基比林及非那西汀）为研究对象,以嵌段聚合物为涂层,建立了药物的开管毛细管电色谱（OT-CEC）分析新策略。首先,采用活性/可控自由基可逆加成-断裂链转移聚合方法,合成制备得到了两亲性嵌段聚合物-聚（苯乙烯-甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯）（P（St-GMA））,并将其涂覆到毛细管内壁;其次,通过考察影响OT-CEC分离效率的关键因素,包括嵌段聚合物的聚合时间、涂覆毛细管嵌段聚合物的浓度、电泳运行缓冲液的种类和pH值、有机溶剂添加剂等,优化了3种解热镇痛药物的OT-CEC分离条件;最终发现,不需添加任何有机溶剂及表面活性剂,仅采用50.0 mmol/L乙酸钠-乙酸（pH 5.7）作为OT-CEC的缓冲溶液,就能实现3种解热镇痛药物的基线分离。在8.0~2.5×10³ μmol/L范围内,分析物峰面积与其对应的浓度呈现良好的线性关系,相关系数（R²）均大于0.995,检出限为1.0~2.5 μmol/L。结果表明：P（St-GMA）在溶液中自组装所形成的类表面活性剂胶团结构增强了两亲性嵌段聚合物与解热镇痛药物之间的相互作用,显著提升了解热镇痛药物的OT-CEC分离效率。该工作不仅为制备新型聚合物及调控嵌段聚合物的自组装行为提供了研究思路,也展示了两亲性嵌段聚合物在药物的绿色OT-CEC分析中的实际应用潜力。     

Open tubular CEC with novel block copolymer coatings for separation of aromatic amines

A new type of block copolymer, which was synthesized by styrene and maleic anhydride, P(MAn‐alt‐St)₁₁₉‐b‐PSt₅₅₈, was successfully developed as the capillary coatings in open tubular CEC. It is interesting that the covalently bonded coatings are porous and the coatings can play the role of surfactants in the separation of aromatic amines when the buffer solution was composed of 30.0 mM ammonium acetate at pH 7.7 with 20% THF. Thus, successful baseline separation of five kinds of aromatic amines has been achieved. As validated by both artificially prepared solutions of aromatic amines and four real samples of commercially available permanent hair dyes, this proposed method was successfully applicable to the quantitative analysis of p‐phenylenediamine (PPD) and o‐phenylenediamine (OPD) ingredients in these commercial products, with a linear range between 8.3 μM and 6.0 mM, correlation coefficient above 0.990 and recovery between 83.5 and 110.9%. The detection limit obtained from calculations based on signal‐to‐noise ratio (S/N=3) was 4.2 μM for PPD and 6.0 μM for OPD, respectively. Furthermore, the role of the surfactants played by the block copolymer coatings has been primarily explored.