Countercurrent chromatographic separation: a hydrodynamic approach developed for extraction columns

In countercurrent chromatography (CCC) both stationary and mobile liquids undergo intense mixing in the variable force field of a coil planet centrifuge and the separation process, like the separation in conventional solvent extraction column, is influenced by longitudinal mixing in the phases and mass transfer between them. This paper describes how the residence time distribution (or the elution profile) of a solute in CCC devices and the interpretation of experimental peaks, can be described by a recently developed cell model of longitudinal mixing. The model considers a CCC column as a cascade of perfectly mixed equal-size cells, the number of which is determined by the rates of longitudinal mixing in the stationary and mobile phases. Experiments were carried out to demonstrate the validation of the model and the possibility of predicting the partitioning behaviour of the solutes. The methods for estimating model parameters are discussed. Longitudinal mixing rates in stationary and mobile phases have been experimentally determined and experimental elution profiles are compared with simulated peaks. It is shown that using the cell model the peak shape for a solute with a given distribution constant can be predicted from experimental data on other solutes.     

Using the liquid nature of the stationary phase. VI. Theoretical study of multi-dual mode countercurrent chromatography

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a separation technique using a biphasic liquid system and centrifugal forces to maintain a support-free liquid stationary phase. Either one of the two phases can be the liquid stationary phase. It is even possible to switch the phase role during the separation. The dual-mode method is revisited recalling its theoretical background. The multi-dual mode (MDM) CCC method was introduced to enhance the resolution power of a CCC column. The theoretical study of the MDM method is validated by modeling the separation of two solutes. The basic hypothesis is that the forward step (partial classical elution) is followed by a backward step that returns the less retained solute to the column head. The equations show that the most important parameter to maximize resolution is not the number of MDM steps but the total volume of liquid phases used to elute the solutes. The model is validated calculating correctly the peak position of previously published MDM experiments.     

Dual-mode high-speed counter-current chromatography: retention, resolution and examples

Counter-current chromatography (CCC) is a very versatile technique offering high resolution power in recovering very pure compounds from complex matrices. Dual-mode CCC where the phase role is reversed during the separation is investigated here; it ensures elution of all the injected species from the column while, unlike backflush, the separation is still progressing after phase reversal; equations giving retention and retention factor are derived from the basic equations of chromatography. Compared to normal-mode CCC, it is shown that enhanced resolution in dual-mode CCC can be obtained in conditions derived from a theoretical model. The experimental section provides the validation of the retention prediction while resolution is also proven to be enhanced in dual-mode CCC. However, equations given in the theoretical section cannot fully explain the results obtained for resolution because they do not deal with kinetics. Dual-mode CCC has also been applied to separation of polyoxypropylene glycol polymers; separation can be achieved with a small number of experiments because all the injected compounds are eluted by reversing the phases. Dual-mode CCC also gave improved yields in the purification of antibiotics compared with previous results using normal-mode CCC.     

Resolution studies on counter-current chromatography using supercritical fluid carbon dioxide

Counter-current chromatography (CCC) is a form of liquid–liquid partition chromatography. It requires two immiscible solvent phases; the stationary phase is retained in the separation column, generally by centrifugal force, while the mobile phase is eluted. We recently replaced the mobile phase with supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (SF CO₂). Since the solvent strength of SF CO₂ can be varied by changing the temperature and pressure of the system, separation adjustments are thus more versatile. We investigated the pressure and temperature effects on resolution using water and low-carbon alcohol mixtures as the stationary phases. It was demonstrated that these special properties of SF CO₂ were indeed beneficial to the optimization of separations. In addition, the phase retention ratio was examined in terms of separation resolution. The results appeared very similar to those obtained from conventional traditional CCC. This study should be helpful for the future development of SF applications in CCC.     

New advances in countercurrent chromatography and centrifugal partition chromatography: focus on coupling strategy

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is an attractive separation method because the analytes are partitioned between two immiscible liquid phases avoiding problems related to solid stationary phase. In recent years, this technique has made great progress in separation power and detection potential. This review describes coupling strategies involving high speed CCC (HSCCC) or centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC). It includes on-line extraction–isolation, hyphenation with mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detectors, multidimensional CCC (MDCCC), two-dimensional CCC (2D-CCC), on-line coupling with liquid chromatography (LC), and biological tests, and innovative off-line developments. The basic principles of each method are presented and applications are summarized.     

Improved partition efficiency with threaded cylindrical column in vortex counter-current chromatography

Type-I coil planet centrifuge produces a uniformly circulating centrifugal force field to produce vortex motion of two immiscible solvent phases in a cylindrical cavity of the separation column to perform efficient countercurrent chromatography. The partition efficiency obtained from the original vortex column was substantially improved by threading the cylindrical cavity to increase the area of mass transfer between the two phases. Partition efficiency of the threaded column was evaluated by three different two-phase solvent systems with a broad range of hydrophobicity each with a set of suitable test samples. Overall results of the present studies indicated that the threaded cylindrical column substantially improves the partition efficiency in terms of theoretical plate number, peak resolution, and height equivalent of one theoretical plate. The results also indicated that higher peak resolution is produced by eluting either the upper phase in the head to tail direction or the lower phase in the reversed direction. When there is a choice in the mobile phase, a better separation is achieved by using the less viscous phase as the mobile phase. Since the present system gives extremely low column pressure, it may be a potential alternative to the conventional type-J HSCCC system for a large-scale preparative separation.     

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.     

High-throughput biological sample analysis using on-line turbulent flow extraction combined with monolithic column liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A high-throughput liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method, which combines on-line sample extraction through turbulent flow chromatography with a monolithic column separation, has been developed for direct injection analysis of drugs and metabolites in human plasma samples. By coupling a monolithic column into the system as the analytical column, the method enables running 'dual-column' extraction and chromatography at higher flow rates, thus significantly reducing the time required for the transfer and mixing of extracted fraction onto the separation column as well as the time for gradient separation. A strategy of assessing and reducing the matrix suppression effect on the on-line extraction LC/MS/MS has also been discussed. Experiments for evaluating the resolution, peak shape, sensitivity, speed, and matrix effect were conducted with dextromethorphan and its metabolite dextrorphan as model compounds in human plasma matrix. It was demonstrated that the total run time for this assay with a baseline separation of two analytes is less than 1.5 min.     

A novel approach to modelling counter-current chromatography

Literature lists a number of counter-current chromatography (CCC) models that can predict the retention time and to a certain extent the peak width of a solute eluting from a CCC column. The approach described in this paper distinguishes itself from previous reports by relating all model parameters directly to column dimensions and experimental settings. Most importantly, this model can predict a chromatogram from scratch without resorting to traditional calibration using empirical values. The model validation with experimental results obtained across a range of CCC instruments demonstrated that the solute retention time, peak width, and peak resolution could be predicted within reasonable accuracy. Additionally, the effect of several process parameters, such as mobile phase flow rate, rotational speed of the column or β-value, showed that the model is robust and applicable to a wide range of CCC instruments. Overall, this model proved to be a useful tool for parameter estimation and, most significantly, separation optimisation.     

A complementary mobile phase approach based on the peak count concept oriented to the full resolution of complex mixtures

Situations of minimal resolution are often found in liquid chromatography, when samples that contain a large number of compounds, or highly similar in terms of structure and/or polarity, are analysed. This makes full resolution with a single separation condition (e.g., mobile phase, gradient or column) unfeasible. In this work, the optimisation of the resolution of such samples in reversed-phase liquid chromatography is approached using two or more isocratic mobile phases with a complementary resolution behaviour (complementary mobile phases, CMPs). Each mobile phase is dedicated to the separation of a group of compounds. The CMPs are selected in such a way that, when the separation is considered globally, all the compounds in the sample are satisfactorily resolved. The search of optimal CMPs can be carried out through a comprehensive examination of the mobile phases in a selected domain. The computation time of this search has been reported to be substantially reduced by application of a genetic algorithm with local search (LOGA). A much simpler approach is here described, which is accessible to non-experts in programming, and offers solutions of the same quality as LOGA, with a similar computation time. The approach makes a sequential search of CMPs based on the peak count concept, which is the number of peaks exceeding a pre-established resolution threshold. The new approach is described using as test sample a mixture of 30 probe compounds, 23 of them with an ionisable character, and the pH and organic solvent contents as experimental factors.     

Mathematical model of computer-programmed intermittent dual countercurrent chromatography applied to hydrostatic and hydrodynamic equilibrium systems

Dual high-speed countercurrent chromatography (dual CCC) literally permits countercurrent flow of two immiscible solvent phases continuously through the coiled column for separation of solutes according to their partition coefficients. Application of this technique has been successfully demonstrated by separation of analytes by gas–liquid and liquid–liquid two-phase systems. However, the method cannot be directly applied to the system with a set of coiled columns connected in series, since the countercurrent process is interrupted at the junction between the columns. However, this problem can be solved by intermittent dual CCC by eluting each phase alternately through the opposite ends of the separation column. This mode of application has an advantage over the conventional dual CCC in that the method can be applied to all types of CCC systems including hydrostatic equilibrium systems such as toroidal coil CCC and centrifugal partition chromatography. Recently, the application of this method to high-speed CCC (hydrodynamic system) has been demonstrated for separation of natural products by Hewitson et al. using a set of conventional multilayer coil separation columns connected in series. Here, we have developed a mathematical model for this intermittent dual CCC system to predict retention time of the analytes, and using a simplified model system the validity of the model is justified by a series of basic studies on both hydrodynamic and hydrostatic CCC systems with a computer-programmed single sliding valve. The present method has been successfully applied to spiral tube assembly high-speed CCC (hydrodynamic system) and toroidal coil CCC (hydrostatic system) for separation of DNP-amino acid samples with two biphasic solvent systems composed of hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–0.1 M hydrochloric acid (1:1:1:1 and 4:5:4:5, v/v).     

Water-organic solvent systems in countercurrent chromatography: Liquid stationary phase retention and solvent polarity

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a separation technique in which the stationary phase is a liquid. The liquid stationary phase retention is a critical problem in CCC. The retention of 18 organic solvents in a hydrodynamic CCC apparatus was measured with an aqueous mobile phase, the centrifuge spin rate and the mobile phase flow rate being constant, 800 rpm and 2 ml/min, respectively. Conversely, water retention was measured when the 18 solvents were the mobile phases. A direct relationship between the liquid stationary phase retention and the phase density difference was found. The liquid phase density difference is the most important parameter for stationary phase retention in a hydrodynamic CCC apparatus with coiled tubes. The chromatographic retention of formanilide was measured in biphasic systems and expressed as the formanilide partition coefficient. It is shown that the partition coefficient correlates with the Reichardt polarity index of the organic solvent when the liquid stationary phase retention volume does not.     

Using the liquid nature of the stationary phase in countercurrent chromatography. IV. The cocurrent CCC method

The retention volumes of solutes in countercurrent chromatography (CCC) are directly proportional to their distribution coefficients, K(D) in the biphasic liquid system used as mobile and stationary phase in the CCC column. The cocurrent CCC method consists in putting the liquid "stationary" phase in slow motion in the same direction as the mobile phase. A mixture of five steroid compounds of widely differing polarities was used as a test mixture to evaluate the capabilities of the method with the biphasic liquid system made of water/methanol/ethyl acetate/heptane 6/5/6/5 (v/v) and a 53 mL CCC column of the coil planet centrifuge type. It is shown that the chromatographic resolution obtained in cocurrent CCC is very good because the solute band broadening is minimized as long as the solute is located inside the "stationary" phase. Pushing the method at its limits, it is demonstrated that the five steroids can still be (partly) separated when the flow rate of the two liquid phases is the same (2 mL/min). This is due to the higher volume of upper phase (72% of the column volume) contained inside the CCC column producing a lower linear speed compared to the aqueous lower phase linear speed. The capabilities of the cocurrent CCC method compare well with those of the gradient elution method in HPLC. Continuous detection is a problem due to the fact that two immiscible liquid phases elute from the column. It was partly solved using an evaporative light scattering detector.     

Recent advances in monolithic columns for protein and peptide separation by capillary liquid chromatography

Capillary liquid chromatography (cLC) has great potential for protein and peptide separation, with advantages of high efficiency, high resolution, low sample consumption, and high sensitivity when coupled with mass spectrometry. In recent years, monoliths have been widely used as the stationary phases for capillary columns, owing to easy preparation, high permeability, fast mass transfer, and low backpressure. This review summarizes recent advances (2007–2012) in monolithic columns for protein and peptide separation by cLC. After a brief introduction on the preparation of monolithic capillary columns, the emphasis of this review is focused on the recent application of such columns for protein and peptide separation by cLC. Furthermore, the challenges and potential hot points of monolithic capillary columns in the future are discussed.     

Effect of ionic liquid additives to mobile phase on separation and system efficiency for HPLC of selected alkaloids on different stationary phases

The silica-based stationary phases with favorable physical characteristics are the most popular in liquid chromatography. However, there are several problems with silica-based materials: severe peak tailing in the chromatography of basic compounds, non-reproducibility for the same chemistry columns, and limited pH stability. Ionic liquids (ILs) as mobile phase components can reduce peak tailing by masking residual free silanol groups. The chromatographic behavior of some alkaloids from different classes was studied on C18, phenyl, and pentafluorophenyl columns with different kinds and concentrations of ionic liquids as additives to aqueous mobile phases. Ionic liquids with different alkyl substituents on different cations or with different counterions as eluent additives were investigated. The addition of ionic liquids has great effects on the separation of alkaloids: decrease in band tailing, increase in system efficiency, and improved resolution. The retention, separation selectivity, and sequence of alkaloid elution were different when using eluents containing various ILs. The increase of IL concentration caused an increase in silanol blocking, thus conducted to decrease the interaction between alkaloid cations and free silanol groups, and caused a decrease of alkaloids retention, improvement of peak symmetry, and increase of theoretical plate number in most cases. The effect of ILs on stationary phases with different properties was also examined. The different properties of stationary phases resulted in differences in analyte retention, separation selectivity, peak shape, and system efficiency. The best shape of peaks and the highest theoretical plate number for most investigated alkaloids in mobile phases containing IL was obtained on pentafluorophenyl (PFP) phase.     

Separation of anthraquinone compounds from the seed of Cassia obtusifolia L. using recycling counter‐current chromatography

Recycling counter‐current chromatography (CCC) together with step‐gradient CCC and medium‐pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) was employed to separate nine anthraquinone compounds from Cassia obtusifolia L. in this study. The results showed that recycling CCC is a powerful tool for compounds that are difficult to separate with common elution mode. CCC was the better option for crude material while MPLC had advantage for the final tuning. The combination of recycling CCC and MPLC could simplify the method exploring process in the separation process. The structures of these compounds were identified according to their mass spectra, by ¹H‐NMR and compared with standard compounds.     

The Efficiency of Substance Separation in Countercurrent Liquid Chromatography

The effect of hydrodynamic parameters and the specific features of instrument design on the efficiency of substance separation in countercurrent liquid chromatography (CCC) was studied using a constant retention factor of the stationary phase in the column. The study was conducted with the separation of benzyl alcohol and p-cresol in a two-phase liquid system heptane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (1.4 : 0.6 : 1 : 1) in as an example. It was shown that the peak resolution is improved with an increase in the rotational speed of the column and a decrease in the flow rate of the mobile phase. The best peak separation was attained using columns for which the ratio of the column rotation radius to the radius of column revolution was 0.615. It was shown that countercurrent chromatography allows the separation of substances with low partition constants (K < 1) in dilute solutions. The volume of the test sample may be up to 15% of the total volume of the chromatography column.     

Microfluidics with aqueous two-phase systems

An overview is given about research activities in which aqueous two phase systems (ATPSs) are utilized in microfluidic setups. ATPSs consist of two immiscible aqueous phases and have traditionally been used for the separation and purification of biological material such as proteins or cells. Microfluidic implementations of such schemes are usually based on a number of co-flowing streams of immiscible phases in a microchannel, thereby replacing the standard batch by flow-through processes. Some aspects of the stability of such flow patterns and the recovery of the phases at the channel exit are reviewed. Furthermore, the diffusive mass transfer and sample partitioning between the phases are discussed, and corresponding applications are highlighted. When diffusion is superposed by an applied electric field normal to the liquid/liquid interface, the transport processes are accelerated, and under specific conditions the interface acts as a size-selective filter for molecules. Finally, the activities involving droplet microflows of ATPSs are reviewed. By either forming ATPS droplets in an organic phase or a droplet of one aqueous phase inside the other, a range of applications has been demonstrated, extending from separation/purification schemes to the patterning of surfaces covered with cells.     

Flow injection analysis with the chromatomembrane--a new device for gaseous/liquid and liquid/liquid extraction

A new device makes extraction procedures work continuously by realizing chromatographic principles in flow-injection analysis. The method allows independent mass transfer between two phases within a chromatomembrane cell. In spite of the small size of the cell-volume (about 3 cm(3)) the relevant contacting area is extended to 2 m(2). A mixing of phases is simply prevented, and an additional step of phase separation is no longer necessary. A chromatomembrane is generated from porous hydrophobic material (PTFE) with two types of pores, namely, macropores and micropores. Whenever two phases flow within the cell the aqueous one exclusively fills the large pores because of the capillary pressure produced by polar liquids in micropores. On the other hand these micropores remain available only for the extraction agent, e.g. non-polar liquids or gases. The mass exchange is significantly increased compared with conventional techniques. The wide field of practical applications can be seen from several results obtained from trace determinations in liquid and gaseous phases.     

Determination of liquid-liquid partition coefficients by separation methods

By essence, all kinds of chromatographic methods use the partitioning of solutes between a stationary and a mobile phase to separate them. Not surprisingly, separation methods are useful to determine accurately the liquid-liquid distribution constants, commonly called partition coefficient. After briefly recalling the thermodynamics of the partitioning of solutes between two liquid phases, the review lists the different methods of measurement in which chromatography is involved. The shake-flask method is described. The ease of the HPLC method is pointed out with its drawback: the correlation is very sensitive to congeneric effect. Microemulsion electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis has become a fast and reliable method commonly used in industry. Counter-current chromatography (CCC) is a liquid chromatography method that uses a liquid stationary phase. Since the CCC solute retention volumes are only depending on their partition coefficients, it is the method of choice for partition coefficient determination with any liquid system. It is shown that Ko/w, the octanol-water partition coefficients, are obtained by CCC within the -1 < log Ko/w < 4 range, without any correlation or standardization using octanol as the stationary phase. Examples of applications of the knowledge of liquid-liquid partition coefficient in the vast world of solvent extraction and hydrophobicity estimation are presented.