Electrochromatographic performance of conventional and polar-embedded C16 silica monolithic stationary phases

A novel monolithic silica column that has a polar‐embedded amide‐secondary amine group linking with C16 functionality for RP‐CEC is described. The amide‐secondary aminealkyloxysilane was synthesized by the reaction of 3‐(2‐aminoethylamino) propyltrimethoxysilane with hexadecanoyl chloride. Then, the silylant agent was bonded to the silica monolith matrix to produce hexadecanamide‐secondary amine bonded silica (HDAIS) monolithic column. The electrochromatographic performance of HDAIS monolithic column for the separation of neutral, basic and polar solutes was studied, which was compared to that using the hexadecyl bonded silica monolithic column. The HDAIS monolithic column displayed reduced hydrophobic retention characteristics in the separation of five hydrophobic n‐alkylbenzenes and four polar phenols when compared to the hexadecyl bonded silica monolithic column. A very much reduced silanol activity of HDAIS monolithic column was observed in the separation of test basic mixture including four aromatic amines, atenolol and metoprolol with 10 mM borate buffer (pH 7.5) containing 30% v/v ACN as the mobile phase. The comparison results indicate good performance for both polar and basic mixtures on HDAIS monolithic column in RP‐CEC, and also show promising results for further applications.     

Preparation of phenylboronic acid-silica hybrid monolithic column with one-pot approach for capillary liquid chromatography of biomolecules

A phenylboronic acid-silica hybrid monolithic column for capillary liquid chromatography (cLC) was prepared through one-pot process by using 4-vinylphenylboronic acid (VPBA) and alkoxysilanes simultaneously. The effects of the molar ratio of tetramethyloxysilane/γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (TMOS/γ-MAPS), amount of VPBA, and the volume of diethylene glycol (DEG) on the morphologies, permeabilities and pore properties of the prepared VPBA-silica hybrid monolithic columns were studied in detail. A relatively uniform monolithic structure with high porosity was obtained with optimized ingredients. A series of cis-diol-containing compounds, alkylbenzenes, amides, and anilines were utilized to evaluate the retention behaviors of the VPBA-silica hybrid monolithic column. The result demonstrated that the prepared VPBA-silica hybrid monolithic column exhibited multiple interactions including hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, as well as cation exchange apart from the expected affinity interaction. The run-to-run, column-to-column and batch-to-batch reproducibility of the VPBA-silica hybrid monolith were satisfactory with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 1.63% (n = 5), 2.02% (n = 3) and 2.90% (n = 5), respectively, indicating the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method. In addition, the VPBA-silica hybrid monolithic column was further applied to the separation of proteins and tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin (BSA), respectively. The successful applications suggested the potential of the VPBA-silica hybrid monolith in proteome analysis.     

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes as functional monomer to prepare hybrid monolithic columns for capillary electrochromatography and capillary liquid chromatography

A simple approach to fabricate hybrid monolithic column within the confines of fused-silica capillaries (75 μm i.d.) was introduced. A polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) reagent containing a methacrylate group was selected as functional monomer, and copolymerized with bisphenol A dimethacrylate (BPADMA) or ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) in the presence of porogenic solvents via thermally initiated free radical polymerization. After optimization of the preparation conditions, two POSS-containing hybrid monoliths were successfully prepared and exhibited good permeability and stability. By comparison of the separation efficiencies of the resulting poly(POSS-co-BPADMA) and poly(POSS-co-EDMA) monoliths in capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and capillary liquid chromatography (cLC), it was indicated the former has better column efficiencies for alkylbenzenes, phenols, anilines and PAHs in CEC and cLC than the latter. Particularly, the hybrid poly(POSS-co-BPADMA) monolith is more suitable for separation of PAHs due to π–π interaction between the analytes and aromatic rings in the surface of monolithic stationary phase.     

One‐pot synthesis of (3‐sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium)‐silica hybrid monolith via thiol‐ene click chemistry for CEC

A novel (3‐sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium)‐silica hybrid monolithic column for CEC has been prepared by a simple one‐pot approach based on efficient thiol‐ene click chemistry. In this process, the polycondensation of hydrolyzed alkoxysilanes and in situ click reaction of vinyl groups on 3‐sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium and thiol groups on the precondensed siloxanes simultaneously occurred in a pretreated capillary. Homogeneous monolithic matrix with large through‐pores tightly bonded to the inner wall of the capillary was shown by optical microscope and SEM. The minimum plate height of this hybrid monolithic column was determined as 3.9 μm for thiourea. Anilines, alkylbenzenes, and phenols were well separated on this hybrid monolithic column by CEC, which indicated typical reversed‐phase and cation‐exchange chromatographic retention mechanisms of the column.     

One-pot synthesis of N-methylimidazolium-based porous polymer monolith for capillary electrochromatography via free radical copolymerization and quaterisation

One-pot synthesis of porous polymer monolith decorated with N-methylimidazolium in a capillary was described. The polymer matrix was synthesized by in situ copolymerization and quaterization of 3-chloro-2-hydroxylpropyl methacrylate (CHPMA), ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA), and N-methylimidazole (N-MIz). The influencing factors including amount of cross-linkers, composition of porogenic solvents, and polymerization temperature on the formation of the monolithic column were investigated. The monolithic column exhibited high column efficiency for thiourea, up to 135 000 plates per meter, and phenylmethanol, up to 102 000 plates per meter. Different types of compounds including alkylbenzenes, phenols, and inorganic anions were successfully baseline separated by capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The separation of theses analytes on the column indicated typical reversed-phase and anion-exchange chromatographic retention mechanism.     

Repeatability in column preparation of a reversed-phase C18 monolith and its application to separation of tocopherol homologues

This work investigated the repeatability of column preparation for a reversed-phase C18 monolith, namely stearyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (SMA-EDMA). The columns were thermally polymerised using three commonly available heating devices (GC oven, hot air oven and water bath) and their chromatographic performance evaluated using micro-liquid chromatography for separation of five test compounds. Precision in terms of %RSD of retention times were 9.0, 6.5, and 12.5 using GC oven, hot air oven and water bath, respectively. Between-batch precision for the hot air oven (n = 3 days) was less than 10.4% for retention time. The SMA-EDMA monolith was applied to the separation of tocopherol homologues by capillary electrochromatography. Usually tocopherol homologues cannot be completely separated by conventional reversed-phase C8- or C18-packed bed or C18-silica based monolithic columns. Polymer monolith has been shown to give remarkable selectivity towards the tocopherols compared to the conventional microparticulate phase and silica based monolith. Successful separation of the tocopherol isomers was achieved on the SMA-EDMA monolith without any column modification.     

Silica sol-gel/organic hybrid material for protein encapsulated column of capillary electrochromatography

A new-type of sol-gel/organic hybrid composite material using gelatin or chitosan with tetramethoxysilane was developed for the bovine serum albumin (BSA)-encapsulated monolithic column for capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The composite monolith was used to immobilize BSA in a fused-silica capillary. The addition of gelatin and chitosan to the alkoxysilane enabled the enantioseparation of Trp. A very small amount of these polymers were effective for the enantioseparation. Especially, the monolithic column prepared from chitosan with tetramethoxysilane showed a high enantioselectivity for Trp enantiomers and the value (alpha' = t2/t1, t1: fast eluted enantiomer, t2: second eluted enantiomer) reached 1.15 on CEC mode. Furthermore, the composite materials exhibited a higher stability compared to the silica sol-gel column. These results showed that the sol-gel/organic hybrid composite was useful as a monolithic matrix for the BSA-encapsulated column for CEC.     

Hydrophobic AEROSIL®R972 Fumed Silica Nanoparticles Incorporated Monolithic Nano-Columns for Small Molecule and Protein Separation by Nano-Liquid Chromatography

A new feature of hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticles (HFSNPs) when they apply to the preparation of monolithic nano-columns using narrow monolithic fused silica capillary columns (e.g., 50-µm inner diameter) was presented. The monolithic nano-columns were synthesized by an in-situ polymerization using butyl methacrylate (BMA) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) at various concentrations of AEROSIL^®R972, called HFSNPs. Dimethyl formamide (DMF) and water were used as the porogenic solvents. These columns (referred to as HFSNP monoliths) were successfully characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and reversed-phase nano-LC using alkylbenzenes and polyaromatic hydrocarbons as solute probes. The reproducibility values based on run-to-run, column-to-column and batch-to-batch were found as 2.3%, 2.48% and 2.99% (n = 3), respectively. The optimized column also indicated promising hydrophobic interactions under reversed-phase conditions, while the feasibility of the column allowed high efficiency and high throughput nano-LC separations. The potential of the final HFSNP monolith in relation to intact protein separation was successfully demonstrated using six intact proteins, including ribonuclease A, cytochrome C, carbonic anhydrase isozyme II, lysozyme, myoglobin, and α-chymotrypsinogen A in nano-LC. The results showed that HFSNP-based monolithic nanocolumns are promising materials and are powerful tools for sensitive separations.     

One‐pot preparation of mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monoliths by the thiol‐ene click reaction for mixed‐mode capillary liquid chromatography

A novel mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monolithic column was prepared for capillary liquid chromatography, in which the thiol‐end mercaptotetrazole was mixed with hydrolyzed γ‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane and tetramethyloxysilane for the co‐polycondensation and thiol‐ene click reaction in a one‐pot process. The effects of the molar ratio of silanes, the amount of mercaptotetrazole, and the volume of porogen on the morphology, permeability and pore properties of the as‐prepared mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monoliths were investigated in detail. A series of test compounds including alkylbenzenes, amides and anilines were employed for evaluating the retention behaviors of the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monolithic columns. The results demonstrated that the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monoliths exhibited hydrophobic, hydrophilic as well as ion‐exchange interaction. The run‐to‐run, column‐to‐column and batch‐to‐batch reproducibilities of the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monoliths were satisfactory with the relative standard deviations less than 1.4 (n  = 5), 3.9 (n  = 3) and 4.0% (n  = 5), respectively. In addition, the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monolith was further applied to the separation of sulfonamides, nucleobases and protein tryptic digests. These successful applications confirmed the promising potential of the mercaptotetrazole‐silica hybrid monolith in the separation of complex samples.     

Electrochromatographic evaluation of a silica monolith capillary column for separation of basic pharmaceuticals

A silica-based monolithic capillary column was prepared via a sol-gel process. The continuous skeleton and large through-pore structure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The native silica monolith has been successfully employed in the electrochromatographic separation of beta-blockers and alkaloids extracted from traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Column efficiencies greater than 250 000 plates/m for capillary electrochromatography (CEC) separation of basic compounds were obtained. It was observed that retention of basic pharmaceuticals on the silica monolith was mainly contributed by a cation-exchange mechanism. Other retention mechanisms including reversed-phase and normal-phase mechanisms and electrophoresis of basic compounds also played a role in separation. A comparison of the differences between CEC and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separation was also discussed.     

Phenylaminopropyl silica monolithic column for pressure assisted capillary electrochromatography

A novel stationary phase phenylaminopropyl silica (PhA-silica) monolith was successfully prepared for pressure assisted capillary electrochromatography (pCEC). The monolithic silica matrix from a sol-gel process was chemically modified by using [3-(phenylamino)propyl]trimethoxysilane as surface modification reagent to produce the phenylaminoporpyl function. The secondary amino groups on the surface of the monolithic stationary phase contributed to the generation of anodic electroosmotic flow (EOF) under acidic conditions. The phenyl group together with the spacer (-(CH(2))(3)-) in PhA-silica provides sufficient hydrophobic properties. To evaluate the column performance, effects of buffer pH and mobile phase composition on the mobile phase linear velocity and the retention factors of alkylbenzenes, phenols and anilines were investigated in pCEC mode. The monolithic stationary phases exhibit typical reversed-phase (RP) electrochromatographic behavior toward neutral solutes. Hydrophobic as well as electrophoretic migration process within the monoliths was observed for the separation of basic solutes such as anilines without peak tailing.     

Hybrid organic-inorganic phenyl monolithic column for capillary electrochromatography

A novel hybrid organic-inorganic silica-based monolithic column possessing phenyl ligands for reversed-phase (RP) capillary electrochromatography (CEC) is described. The monolithic stationary phase was prepared by in situ co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with phenyltriethoxysilane (PTES) via a two-step catalytic sol-gel procedure to introduce phenyl groups distributed throughout the silica matrix for chromatographic interaction. The hydrolysis and condensation reactions of precursors were chemically controlled through pH variation by adding hydrochloric acid and dodecylamine, respectively. The structural property of the monolithic column can be easily tailored through adjusting the composition of starting sol solution. The effect of PTES/TEOS ratios on the morphology of the created stationary phases was investigated. A variety of neutral and basic analytes were used to evaluate the column performance. The CEC columns exhibited typical RP chromatographic retention mechanism for neutral compounds and had improved peak shape for basic solutes.     

Study of triacontyl-functionalized monolithic silica capillary column for reversed-phase capillary liquid chromatography

A novel stationary phase triacontyl-functionalized monolithic silica capillary column was successfully prepared for reversed-phase capillary liquid chromatography. The performance of the monolithic silica capillary column coated with triacontyl chain for the separation of alkylbenzenes, xylene isomers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixture of α- and β-carotenes was studied, which was compared to that using the monolithic silica capillary column coated with octadecyl chain. The comparison results showed that triacontyl-functionalized monolithic silica capillary column would be a promising media to be used for the separation of isomeric solutes with long chain in reversed-phase capillary liquid chromatography.     

The performance of hybrid monolithic silica capillary columns prepared by changing feed ratios of tetramethoxysilane and methyltrimethoxysilane

The effect of a feed ratio of methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) to tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) was studied to improve the performance of a hybrid monolithic silica capillary column with 100-μm i.d. in HPLC in a range MTMS/TMOS (v/v) = 10/90–25/75. The domain size was also varied by adjusting the amount of PEG to control permeability (K = 2.8 × 10⁻¹⁴–6.9 × 10⁻¹⁴ m²). Evaluation of the performance for those capillary columns following octadecylsilylation proved an increase in retention factor (k) and a decrease in steric selectivity α(triphenylene/ortho-terphenyl) with the increase in MTMS content in the feed. The effect of the feed ratio was also observed in porosity and hydrophobic property of the C18 stationary phase from the results of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and reversed phase characterization. The monolithic silica capillary columns prepared under new preparation conditions were able to produce a plate height of 4.6–6.0 μm for hexylbenzene in a mobile phase acetonitrile/water = 80/20 at a linear velocity of 2 mm/s. Consequently, it was possible to prepare hybrid monolithic silica capillary columns with higher performance than those reported previously while maintaining the retention factors in a similar range by reducing the MTMS/TMOS ratio and increasing the total silane concentration in feed.     

Capillary liquid chromatography using a hydrophilic/cation-exchange monolithic column with a dynamically modified cationic surfactant

A novel form of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) by the dynamically modified hydrophilic interaction monolithic column has been described in this paper. A porous poly(SPMA-co-PETA) monolith with strong cation-exchange (SCX) was prepared and the resulting monolith showed a typical hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) mechanism at higher organic solvent content (ACN% > 50%). The good selectivity for neutral, basic and acidic polar analytes was observed in the HILIC mode. In order to increase the hydrophobic interaction, the monolith with SCX was dynamically modified with a long-chain quaternary ammonium salt, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which was added to the mobile phase. CTAB ions were adsorbed onto the surface of the SCX monolithic material, and the resulting hydrophobic layer was used as the stationary phase. Using the dynamically modified SCX monolithic column, neutral, basic and acidic hydrophobic analytes were well separated with the RPLC mode.     

Preparation and evaluation of a macroporous molecularly imprinted hybrid silica monolithic column for recognition of proteins by high performance liquid chromatography

A novel type of macroporous molecularly imprinted hybrid silica monolithic column was first developed for recognition of proteins. The macroporous silica-based monolithic skeleton was synthesized in a 4.6 mm i.d. stainless steel column by a mild sol–gel process with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) as a sole precursor, and then vinyl groups were introduced onto the surface of the silica skeleton by chemical modification of γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (γ-MAPS). Subsequently, the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coating was copolymerized and anchored onto the surface of the silica monolith. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (Lyz), which differ greatly in molecular size, isoelectric point, and charge, were representatively selected for imprinted templates to evaluate recognition property of the hybrid silica-based MIP monolith. Some important factors, such as template–monomer molar ratio, total monomer concentration and crosslinking density, were systematically investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the obtained hybrid silica-based MIP monolith showed higher binding affinity for template than its corresponding non-imprinted (NIP) monolith. The imprinted factor (IF) for BSA and Lyz reached 9.07 and 6.52, respectively. Moreover, the hybrid silica-based MIP monolith displayed favorable binding characteristics for template over competitive protein. Compared with the imprinted silica beads for stationary phase and in situ organic polymer-based hydrogel MIP monolith, the hybrid silica MIP monolith exhibited higher recognition, stability and lifetime.     

丙基脲硅胶毛细管整体柱的制备及性能研究

采用溶胶-凝胶技术在毛细管中原位合成硅胶整体柱,通过表面化学修饰技术制备了极性的丙基脲硅胶整体柱.对所制备的整体柱柱性能进行了评价,考察了极性物质在该整体柱上的保留行为,并对其可能的保留机理进行了探讨.研究表明,该柱在亲水作用电色谱模式下能有效分离苯酚类极性小分子化合物.     

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

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

Preparation of organic–inorganic hybrid silica monolith with octyl and sulfonic acid groups for capillary electrochromatograhpy and application in determination of theophylline and caffeine in beverage

An organic–inorganic hybrid silica monolithic column with octyl and sulfonic acid groups has been prepared by sol–gel technique for capillary electrochromatograhpy. The structure of hybrid monolith was optimized by changing the composition of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), octyltriethoxysilane (C₈-TEOS) and 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) in the mixture of precursors. Then, the obtained hybrid monolith was oxidized using hydrogen peroxide (30%, w/w) to yield sulfonic acid groups. The sulfonic acid group, which served as strong cation-exchanger, dominated the charge on the surface of the capillary column and generated stable electroosmotic flow (EOF) in a wide range of pH. The monolithic column was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and elemental analysis (EA), and the performance of column was evaluated in detail by separating different kinds of compounds with column efficiency up to 155,000 plates/m for thiourea. In addition, this monolithic column was also applied in the analysis of theophylline (TP) and caffeine (CA) in beverages. The detection limits were 0.39 and 0.48 μg/mL for theophylline and caffeine, respectively. The method reproducibility was tested by evaluating the intra- and inter-day precisions, and relative standard deviations of less than 3.9 and 8.4%, respectively, were obtained. Recoveries of compounds from spiked beverage samples ranged from 87.2 to 105.2%.     

Histidine‐modified organic‐silica hybrid monolithic column for mixed‐mode per aqueous and ion‐exchange capillary electrochromatography

A novel organic‐silica hybrid monolith was prepared through the binding of histidine onto the surface of monolithic matrix for mixed‐mode per aqueous and ion‐exchange capillary electrochromatography. The imidazolium and amino groups on the surface of the monolithic stationary phase were used to generate an anodic electro‐osmotic flow as well as to provide electrostatic interaction sites for the charged compounds at low pH. Typical per aqueous chromatographic behavior was observed in water‐rich mobile phases. Various polar and hydrophilic analytes were selected to evaluate the characteristics and chromatographic performance of the obtained monolith. Under per aqueous conditions, the mixed‐mode mechanism of hydrophobic and ion‐exchange interactions was observed and the resultant monolithic column proved to be very versatile for the efficient separations of these polar and hydrophilic compounds (including amides, nucleosides and nucleotide bases, benzoic acid derivatives, and amino acids) in highly aqueous mobile phases. The successful applications suggested that the histidine‐modified organic‐silica hybrid monolithic column could offer a wide range of retention behaviors and flexible selectivities toward polar and hydrophilic compounds.