Effect of short-chain alcohols on surfactant-mediated reversed-phase liquid chromatographic systems

The behaviour of β-blockers in a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) column with mobile phases containing a short-chain alcohol (methanol, ethanol or 1-propanol), with and without the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), was explored. Two surfactant-mediated RPLC modes were studied, where the mobile phases contained either micelles or only surfactant monomers at high concentration. Acetonitrile was also considered for comparison purposes. A correlation was found between the effects of the organic solvent on micelle formation (monitored by the drop weight procedure) and on the nature of the chromatographic system (as revealed by the retention, elution strength and peak shape of β-blockers). When SDS is added to the mobile phase, the free surfactant monomers bind the C18 bonded chains on the stationary phase, forming an anionic layer, which attracts strongly the cationic β-blockers. The retention is modified as a consequence of the solving power of the organic solvent, micelles and surfactant monomers. The molecules of organic solvent bind the micelles, modify their shape, and may avoid their formation. They also bind the monomers of surfactant, desorbing them from the stationary phase, which affects the retention. The remaining surfactant covers the free silanols on the siliceous support, avoiding the interaction with the cationic solutes. The retention of β-blockers results from a combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, the latter being weaker compared to the hydro-organic system. The peak efficiencies and asymmetries are excellent tools to probe the surfactant layer on the stationary phase in an SDS/organic solvent system. The peaks will be nearly symmetrical wherever enough surfactant coats the stationary phase (up to 60% methanol, 40% ethanol, 35% 1-propanol, and 50% acetonitrile).     

Chromatographic Behavior of Aromatic Diamines in Hydro-Organic, Micellar and Submicellar Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatographic Modes

The chromatographic behavior (retention, elution strength, efficiency, peak asymmetry and selectivity) of some aromatic diamines in the presence of methanol with or without anionic surfactant SDS in the four different reversed phased liquid chromatographic (RPLC) modes, i.e., hydro-organic, micellar (MLC), low submicellar (LSC) and high submicellar (HSC), was investigated. In the three surfactant-mediated modes, the surfactant monomers coat the stationary phase even up to 70 % methanol; this results in the suppression of peak tailing (by masking the silanol groups on the stationary phase). In MLC and HSC, the solute retention decreases by increasing the surfactant concentration, while this situation was reversed in LSC. In the region between MLC and HSC modes (25–50 % methanol), retention of late eluting solutes was increased by increasing methanol content which is seemingly due to disaggregation of SDS micelles. Changes in selectivity were observed after changing the concentrations of SDS and methanol, in a greater extent when concentration of SDS was changed. Among the four studied RPLC modes, HSC showed the best efficiency with nearly symmetrical peaks. Prediction of retention of solutes in HSC based on a mechanistic retention model combined with Pareto-optimality method allowed the full resolution of target diamines in practical analysis times.     

Prediction of peak shape in hydro-organic and micellar-organic liquid chromatography as a function of mobile phase composition

A simple model is proposed that relates the parameters describing the peak width with the retention time, which can be easily predicted as a function of mobile phase composition. This allows the further prediction of peak shape with global errors below 5%, using a modified Gaussian model with a parabolic variance. The model is useful in the optimisation of chromatographic resolution to assess an eventual overlapping of close peaks. The dependence of peak shape with mobile phase composition was studied for mobile phases containing acetonitrile in the presence and absence of micellised surfactant (micellar-organic and hydro-organic reversed-phase liquid chromatography, RPLC). In micellar RPLC, both modifiers (surfactant and acetonitrile) were observed to decrease or improve the efficiencies in the same percentage, at least in the studied concentration ranges. The study also revealed that the problem of achieving smaller efficiencies in this chromatographic mode, compared to hydro-organic RPLC, is not only related to the presence of surfactant covering the stationary phase, but also to the smaller concentration of organic solvent in the mobile phase.     

The role of the dual nature of ionic liquids in the reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of basic drugs

The cationic nature of basic drugs gives rise to broad asymmetrical chromatographic peaks with conventional C18 columns and hydro-organic mixtures, due to the ionic interaction of the positively charged solutes with the free silanol groups on the alkyl-bonded reversed-phase packing. Ionic liquids (ILs) have recently attracted some attention to reduce this undesirable silanol activity. ILs are dual modifiers (with a cationic and anionic character), which means that both cation and anion can be adsorbed on the stationary phase, giving rise to interesting interactions with the anionic free silanols and the cationic basic drugs. A comparative study of the performance of four imidazolium-based ILs as modifiers of the chromatographic behaviour of a group of β-blockers is shown. The ILs differed in the adsorption capability of the cation and anion on C18 columns. Mobile phases without additive and containing a cationic (triethylamine, TEA) or anionic (sodium dodecyl sulphate, SDS) additive were used as references for the interpretation of the behaviours. The changes in the nature of the chromatographic system, at increasing concentration of the additives, were followed based on the changes in retention and peak shape of the β-blockers. The silanol suppressing potency of the additives, and the association constants between the solutes and modified stationary phase or additive in the mobile phase, were estimated. The study revealed that SDS and the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate are the best enhancers of chromatographic peak shape among those studied.     

Comparison of the performance of non-ionic and anionic surfactants as mobile phase additives in the RPLC analysis of basic drugs

Surfactants added to the mobile phases in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) give rise to a modified stationary phase, due to the adsorption of surfactant monomers. Depending on the surfactant nature (ionic or non-ionic), the coated stationary phase can exhibit a positive net charge, or just change its polarity remaining neutral. Also, micelles in the mobile phase introduce new sites for solute interaction. This affects the chromatographic behavior, especially in the case of basic compounds. Two surfactants of different nature, the non-ionic Brij-35 and the anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) added to water or aqueous-organic mixtures, are here compared in the separation of basic compounds (β-blockers and tricyclic antidepressants). The reversible/irreversible adsorption of the monomers of both surfactants on the stationary phase was examined. The changes in the nature of the chromatographic system using different columns and chromatographic conditions were followed based on the changes in retention and peak shape. The study revealed that Brij-35 is suitable for analyzing basic compounds of intermediate polarity, using "green chemistry", since the addition of an organic solvent is not needed and Brij-35 is a biodegradable surfactant. In contrast, RPLC with hydro-organic mixtures or mobile phases containing SDS required high concentrations of organic solvents.     

Adsorption of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate on a C18 column under micellar and high submicellar conditions in reversed‐phase liquid chromatography

Micellar liquid chromatography makes use of aqueous solutions or aqueous‐organic solutions containing a surfactant, at a concentration above its critical micelle concentration. In the mobile phase, the surfactant monomers aggregate to form micelles, whereas on the surface of the nonpolar alkyl‐bonded stationary phases they are significantly adsorbed. If the mobile phase contains a high concentration of organic solvent, micelles break down, and the amount of surfactant adsorbed on the stationary phase is reduced, giving rise to another chromatographic mode named high submicellar liquid chromatography. The presence of a thinner coating of surfactant enhances the selectivity and peak shape, especially for basic compounds. However, the risk of full desorption of surfactant is the main limitation in the high submicellar mode. This study examines the adsorption of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate under micellar and high submicellar conditions on a C₁₈ column, applying two methods. One of them uses a refractive index detector to obtain direct measurements of the adsorbed amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate, whereas the second method is based on the retention and peak shape for a set of cationic basic compounds that indirectly reveal the presence of adsorbed monomers of surfactant on the stationary phase.     

Performance of short-chain alcohols versus acetonitrile in the surfactant-mediated reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of β-blockers

Organic solvents are traditionally added to micellar mobile phases to achieve adequate retention times and peak profiles, in a chromatographic mode which has been called micellar liquid chromatography (MLC). The organic solvent content is limited to preserve the formation of micelles. However, at increasing organic solvent contents, the transition to a situation where micelles do not exist is gradual. Also, there is no reason to neglect the potentiality of mobile phases containing only surfactant monomers instead of micelles (high submicellar chromatography, HSC). This is demonstrated here for the analysis of β-blockers. The performance of four organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, and acetonitrile) was compared in mobile phases containing the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate in the MLC and HSC modes. The association of the organic solvent molecules with micelles gives rise to a significant loss in the elution strength of the organic solvent; whereas upon disruption of micelles, it tends to that observed in the hydro-organic mode. The elution behaviour of the β-blockers was modelled to predict the retention times. This allowed the detailed exploration of the selectivity and resolution of the chromatographic systems in relatively wide ranges of concentration of surfactant and organic solvent. The best performance in terms of resolution and analysis time was achieved using HSC with acetonitrile, being able to base-line resolve a mixture of eight β-blockers. Ethanol also provided a good separation performance, significantly improved with respect to methanol and 1-propanol. In contrast, the hydro-organic mode using acetonitrile or any of the short-chain alcohols could not succeed with the separation of the β-blockers, owing to the poorer selectivity and wider peaks.     

Chromatographic behavior of new deazapurine ribonucleosides in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

The chromatographic behavior of new biogenic purine nucleosides in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography was examined on three different stationary phases, namely bare silica, and amide‐ and cyclofructan‐based stationary phases. The effects of buffer concentration, pH and acetonitrile‐to‐aqueous‐part ratio in the mobile phase on retention and peak shape were assessed. The retention coefficients and peak symmetry values substantially differed with respect to analytes´ structures, stationary phase properties and mobile phase composition. The bare silica column was unsuitable for these compounds under the chromatographic conditions tested due to very broad and asymmetrical peaks. Furthermore, the cyclofructan‐based stationary phase provided almost Gaussian peak shapes of all deazapurine nucleosides under most conditions tested. Therefore, the cyclofructan‐based stationary phase is the most suitable choice for the chromatographic analysis of nucleosides.     

An assessment of the retention behaviour of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on reversed phase stationary phases--thermodynamic behaviour on C18 and phenyl-type surfaces

The thermodynamic retention behaviour of a linear series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was investigated on C18 and selected phenyl-type reversed-phase stationary phases, namely C18, C18 Aqua, Propyl-phenyl and Synergi polar-RP stationary phases, using methanol mobile phases. The Propyl-phenyl stationary phase, despite having the lowest surface coverage, was found to exhibit significantly larger enthalpic interactions to the other Phenyl-type phase (Synergi polar-RP) even though this had a much higher surface coverage. This indicated that stronger interactions between the PAHs and the stationary phase ligands were occurring on the Propyl-phenyl phase. Evaluation of the elution band profile of the PAHs in the aqueous methanol mobile phase revealed fairly symmetrical bands for the C18, C18 Aqua and Synergi polar-RP, but severe peak tailing on the Propyl-phenyl phase. A change in mobile phase from methanol to acetonitrile improved the peak shape of the PAHs on the Propyl-phenyl phase, leading to the assumption that unfavourable pi-pi interactions were occurring between the electron-rich PAHs and the electron-rich phenyl rings of the Propyl-phenyl phase.     

Effect of chemically bonded stationary phases and mobile phase composition on beta-blockers retention in RP-HPLC

The effects of stationary and mobile phase on retention of 18 beta-adrenolytic drugs (beta-blockers) have been studied. Four 'deactivated surface' stationary phases (polar-embedded or end-capped) were examined. Special attention was drawn to the cholesterolic (SG-CHOL) and alkylamide (SG-AP) stationary phases, and their application for analysis of the compounds. The retention of analyzed substances was also examined in terms of mobile phase composition. Sixteen different configurations of mobile phases were prepared, all based on methanol and acetonitrile with ammonium acetate and ammonium formate. The difference in retention between ammonium formate and acetate water solutions, and peak shape changes related to the addition of triethylamine (TEA), were investigated. Principal component analysis was used to find the similarities between stationary phases. Polar-embedded phases synthesized on the same sorbent possess very similar properties. All phases based on silica gel compared with the monolithic column also showed similarities in retention of beta-blockers. The addition of TEA to the mobile phase did not influence strongly the retention, and analysis of asymmetry factors showed only a little peak broadening for a few compounds on the monolithic column.     

Analysis of the band profiles of the enantiomers of phenylglycine in liquid chromatography on bonded teicoplanin columns using the stochastic theory of chromatography.

The retention behaviour of the enantiomers of underivatized phenylglycine was studied on a Chirobiotic T column packed with amphoteric glycopeptide teicoplanin covalently bonded to the surface of silica gel. The retention and the selectivity of separation of the enantiomers increase with rising concentration of ethanol or of methanol in aqueous-organic mobile phases. The band profiles of the less retained L-phenylglycine are symmetrical, but the band profiles of the more strongly retained D-phenylglycine are tailing in all mobile phases tested. The band broadening does not diminish even at very low concentrations of phenylglycine, so that it cannot be attributed to possible column overload. The analysis of the band profile using the stochastic theory of chromatography suggests that the broadening can be attributed to at least two additional chiral centres of adsorption in the stationary phase contributing to the retention of the more strongly retained enantiomer in addition to the adsorption of the less retained one. This behaviour can be explained by the complex structure of the teicoplanin chiral stationary phase.     

Solute-solvent interactions in micellar electrokinetic chromatography: V. Factors that produce peak splitting

The experimental conditions that produce analyte peak splitting in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) have been systematically investigated. The system studied was a neutral phosphate buffer and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles as pseudostationary phase. A number of analytes showing a wide variety of hydrophobicity values and several organic solvents as sample diluents have been tested. Peak splitting phenomena are mainly due to the presence of organic solvent in the sample solution. They increase with the hydrophobicity of the analyte and decrease with the increase of the surfactant concentration. When hydrophobic compounds are analyzed the suggested ways to avoid split peaks are: (i) the use of 1-propanol or 1-butanol as sample diluent instead of methanol or acetonitrile or (ii) the use of high concentration of surfactant in the separating solution when the analyte must be dissolved in pure methanol or acetonitrile.     

Influence of preferential adsorption of mobile phase on retention behavior of amino acids on the teicoplanin chiral selector

The adsorption behavior of two amino acids, i.e., l,d-threonine and l,d-methionine has been investigated on the chiral stationary phase (CSP)column packed with teicoplanin bonded to a silica support. The study has been performed under non-linear conditions of adsorption isotherm for various types of organic modifiers (methanol, ethanol, propan-2-ol and acetonitrile) in the reversed-phase mode. A heterogeneous adsorption mechanism of amino acids has been identified that was strongly affected by the nature of organic modifier. Generally, isotherm non-linearity and retention decreased with decrease of the modifier content in the mobile phase exhibiting a minimum at water-rich mobile phases. These trends were suggested to result from a combined effect of the mobile as well as the adsorbed phase composition. To determine the composition of the adsorbed phase the excess adsorption of modifiers in aqueous solutions has been measured and their binary adsorption equilibria have been quantified and compared. Strongly non-ideal behavior of solvents in the mobile phase and the adsorbed phase has been accounted for by activity coefficients. The fraction of the modifiers in the adsorbed phase decreased in the sequence: methanol, ethanol, propan-2-ol and acetonitrile.     

Improvement of peak shape and separation performance of beta-blockers in conventional reversed-phase columns using solvent modifiers

A comparative study of peak shape, elution behavior, and resolution of 16 beta-blockers (acebutolol, alprenolol, atenolol, bisoprolol, carteolol, celiprolol, esmolol, labetalol, metoprolol, nadolol, oxprenolol, pindolol, practolol, propranolol, sotalol, and timolol) chromatographed with hybrid mobile phases of triethylamine (TEA)-acetonitrile and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-propanol is performed using conventional reversed-phase columns and isocratic elution. Both solvent modifiers (TEA and SDS) prevent the interaction of the basic drugs with the alkyl-bonded phase. However, the protection mechanisms of silanols on the packing are different. Whereas TEA associates with the silanol sites (blocking ion-exchange processes or repelling the solutes), the long hydrophobic chain of SDS is inserted in the bonded organic layer with the sulfate group protruding outside, which makes the stationary phase negatively charged. The effects of TEA, acetonitrile, SDS, and propanol on the elution strength, efficiency, peak asymmetry, and resolution are examined under an experimental design basis that is assisted by computer simulation to reach more general conclusions. The combination of improved peak shapes, larger selectivity, and a smaller range in retention among compounds of extreme polarity leads to the observation that a greater number of beta-blockers can be resolved with a hybrid micellar system.     

Effects of pH and the presence of micelles on the resolution of diuretics by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A comparative study on the performance of two RPLC modes on the separation of 18 diuretics with diverse acid-base behaviour (acetazolamide, althiazide, amiloride, bendroflumethiazide, benzthiazide, bumetanide, canrenoic acid, chlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, ethacrynic acid, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, piretanide, probenecid, spironolactone, triamterene, trichloromethiazide and xipamide) was carried out. A conventional octadecylsilane column and acidic acetonitrile-water mobile phases, in the absence and presence of micelles of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), were used. The effects of pH and the modifiers acetonitrile and SDS on peak asymmetry, efficiency, selectivity, resolution and analysis time, were examined. The comparison of both RPLC modes (aqueous- and micellar-organics) was done using the same processing tools, applying several polynomial and mechanistic equations to describe the retention. The best separations were obtained by maximising the product of peak purities, considering a wide range of experimental conditions. The study illustrates that, despite the theoretical and practical complexity of the problem, the predicted optimal chromatograms can be reproduced experimentally with great accuracy. None of the examined RPLC modes was able to yield baseline separation of the 18 diuretics. However, their selectivity was complementary, being appropriate for different combinations of a smaller number of the assayed diuretics.     

Liquid chromatographic separation and thermodynamic investigation of stereoisomers of darunavir on Chiralpak AD‐Hcolumn

Liquid chromatographic separation of stereoisomers of darunavir on Chiralpak AD‐H, a column containing the stationary phase coated with amylose tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) as a chiral selector, was studied under normal‐phase conditions at different temperatures between 20 and 50°C. The effect of quality and quantity of different polar organic modifiers viz: methanol, ethanol, 1‐propanol, and 2‐propanol in the mobile phase as well as column temperature on retention, separation, and resolution was investigated and optimized. The optimum separation was accomplished using a mobile phase composed of n‐hexane/ethanol/diethyl amine (80:20:0.1 v/v/v) at 40°C. Apparent thermodynamic parameters ΔH⁰ and ΔS* were derived from the Van't Hoff plots (lnk′ versus 1/T) and used to explain the strength of interactions between the stereoisomers and amylose tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) coated chiral stationary phase.     

Effect of increasing concentration of ammonium acetate as an additive in supercritical fluid chromatography using CO2–methanol mobile phase

The effects of increasing concentrations of ammonium acetate additive in supercritical fluid chromatography were studied on silica, 2-ethyl-pyridine and endcapped 2-ethyl-pyridine stationary phases. The study involved the addition of increasing concentrations of the ammonium acetate either in the mobile phase modifier (methanol) or in the sample solvent. The effects of ammonium acetate on retention and peak shape of the analytes were evaluated. Compounds that exhibited satisfactory chromatographic behaviour in the absence of the additive were virtually unaffected by its presence in the mobile phase or sample solvent. Nevertheless, compounds that exhibited late elution and strongly tailing peak shapes when pure methanol was used showed dramatically improved chromatographic behaviour in the presence of the additive. Shorter retention was observed not only when the modifier was introduced in the mobile phase but also when it was in the sample solvent.     

Insights into the Retention Mechanism of Small Neutral Compounds on Octylsiloxane-Bonded and Diisobutyloctadecylsiloxane-Bonded Silica Stationary Phases in Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography

The system constants of the solvation parameter model are used to prepare system maps for the retention of small neutral compounds on an octylsiloxane-bonded (Kinetex C8) and diisobutyloctadecylsiloxane-bonded (Kinetex XB-C18) superficially porous silica stationary phases for aqueous mobile phases containing 10–70% (v/v) methanol or acetonitrile. Electrostatic interactions (cation-exchange) are important for the retention of weak bases with acetonitrile–water but not for methanol–water mobile phases. Compared with an octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase (Kinetex C18) retention is reduced due to a less favorable phase ratio for both the octylsiloxane-bonded and diisobutyloctadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phases while selectivity differences are small and solvent dependent. Selectivity differences for neutral compounds are larger for methanol–water but significantly suppressed for acetonitrile–water mobile phases. The selectivity differences arise from small changes in all system constants with solute size and hydrogen-bond basicity being the most important due to their dominant contribution to the retention mechanism. Exchanging the octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica column for either the octylsiloxane-bonded or diisobutyloctadecylsiloxane-bonded silica column affords little scope for extending the selectivity space and is restricted to fine tuning of separations, and in some cases, to obtain faster separations due to a more favorable phase ratio. For weak bases larger differences in relative retention are expected with acetonitrile–water mobile phases on account of the additional cation exchange interactions possible that are absent for the octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase.     

Chromatographic behaviour of steroidal saponins studied by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

The chromatographic behaviour of steroidal saponins found in Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Asparagus officinalis, Convallaria majalis, Digitalis purpurea and Ruscus aculeatus was studied by HPLC-MS using a C-18 reversed-phase column and aqueous acetonitrile or aqueous methanol mobile phase gradients, with or without the addition of 1% acetic acid. The behaviour was compared to that of triterpene saponins found in Aesculus hippocastanum, Centella asiatica, Panax notoginseng and Potentilla tormentilla. Inclusion of methanol in the mobile phase under acidic conditions was found to cause furostanol saponins hydroxylated at C-22 to chromatograph as broad peaks, whereas the peak shapes of the spirostanol saponins and triterpene saponins studied remained acceptable. In aqueous methanol mobile phases without the addition of acid, furostanol saponins chromatographed with good peak shape, but each C-22 hydroxylated furostanol saponin was accompanied by a second chromatographic peak identified as its C-22 methyl ether. Methanolic extracts analysed in non-acidified aqueous acetonitrile mobile phases also resolved pairs of C-22 hydroxy and C-22 methoxy furostanol saponins. The C-22 methyl ether of deglucoruscoside was found to convert to deglucoruscoside during chromatography in acidified aqueous acetonitrile, or by dissolving in water. Poor chromatography of furostanol saponins in acidified aqueous methanol is due to the interconversion of the C-22 hydroxy and C-22 methoxy forms. It is recommended that initial analysis of saponins by HPLC-MS using a C-18 stationary phase is performed using acidified aqueous acetonitrile mobile phase gradients. The existence of naturally-occurring furostanol saponins methoxylated at C-22 can be investigated with aqueous acetonitrile mobile phases and avoiding methanol in the extraction solvent.     

Comparison of retention of aromatic hydrocarbons with polar groups in binary reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography systems

The retention of aromatic hydrocarbons with polar groups has been correlated as log k1 versus log k2 for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography systems with different binary aqueous mobile phases containing methanol, acetonitrile or tetrahydrofuran as modifiers. Distinct changes in separation selectivity have been observed between tetrahydrofuran and acetonitrile or methanol systems. Methanol and acetonitrile systems show lower diversity of separation selectivity. The changes in retention and selectivity of aromatic hydrocarbons with various polar groups between any two chromatographic systems with binary aqueous eluents (tetrahydrofuran vs. acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran vs. methanol and methanol vs. acetonitrile) have been interpreted in terms of molecular interactions of the solute with especially one component of the stationary phase region, i.e. extracted modifier, and stationary phase ordering. The ordering of the stationary phase region caused by modifier type influences the chromatographic selectivity of solutes with different molecular shape.