Microemulsions in amphiphilic and polymer-surfactant systems

Microemulsions may have very different microstructures: discrete water or oil droplets and bicontinuous — depending, inter alia, on the surfactant polarity, salinity, temperature, and co-surfactant. A review is given on structure determination of microemulsions of different systems and the conditions for occurrence of different structures. Polymer addition may dramatically influence microemulsion stability and structure and examples are given for different types of polymers and discussed on the basis of mixed solutions of polymers and surfactants in general.Opening lecture at the Emulsions Symposium, Toronto, May 1994     

Microemulsions of triglyceride and non-ionic surfactant — effect of temperature and aqueous phase composition

The phase behavior of soybean oil, polyoxyethylene (40) sorbitol hexaoleate and water—ethanol was investigated. Regions of water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions were determined and were found to be strongly dependent on temperature and water:alcohol ratios. At a water:ethanol ratio of 80/20 (wt.%), an oil:surfactant ratio of 2/3 and a temperature of 25°C, the microemulsion region extended continuously from the oil—surfactant axis to the phase diagram center. However, at the hydrophilic—lipophilic balance (HLB) temperature (20–22°C) and a water:ethanol ratio of 80/20 or 75/25 (wt.%), a single-phase area separated from the original microemulsion region. Conductivity measurements and dynamic light scattering intensifies at 25°C indicated that association structures were formed with increasing aqueous phase concentrations above 15 wt.%. At 20°C, the single-phase scattering intensifies increased sharply with increasing aqueous phase concentrations (38–46 wt.%) and a plateau in the conductivity was detected.

Transmission electron microscopy results supported the finding that more particles are formed with increasing aqueous phase and form connected particles, resulting in constant conductance.     

Modelling of retention behaviour of solutes in micellar liquid chromatography

In micellar liquid chromatography (MLC), the resolution for a given multi-component mixture can be optimized by changing several variables, such as the concentrations of surfactant and organic modifier, the pH and temperature. However, this advantage can only be fully exploited with the development of mathematical models that describe the retention and the separation mechanisms. Several reports have appeared recently on the possibilities of accurately predicting the solute retention in MLC. Although the retention and selectivity may strongly change with varying concentrations of surfactant, organic modifier and/or pH, the observed changes are very regular, and are well described by simple models. This characteristic enables a successful prediction of retention times and compensates the negative effect of the broad and tailed chromatographic peaks obtained for some solutes when micellar eluents are used. An overview of the models proposed in the literature to describe the retention behaviour in pure micellar eluents and micellar eluents containing an organic modifier, at a fixed pH or at varying pH, is given. The equations derived permit the evaluation of the strength of micelle-solute and stationary phase-solute interactions. The prediction of the retention based on molecular properties and the use of neural networks, together with the factors affecting the prediction capability of the models (linearization of the equations, dead time, critical micellar concentration, ionic strength and temperature) are commented on. The strategies used for the optimization of resolution are also given.     

用于纳米粒子合成的微乳液

微乳液作为纳米反应器的最大优点是可以实现纳米粒子尺寸控制。体系中水的含量、表面活性剂、助表面活性剂等都是控制粒子尺寸的可调因素,研究这些因素对所合成的纳米粒子尺寸以及产量的影响对于实际应用有重要的意义。本文评述了近年来相关的研究进展,对微乳液法在合成纳米粒子中的应用前景作了展望。     

Retention models for ionizable compounds in reversed-phase liquid chromatography: Effect of variation of mobile phase composition and temperature

General models in reversed-phase liquid chromatography that have been extended to relate retention of ionizable compounds to mobile phase composition, pH and/or temperature are reviewed. In particular, the fundamentals and applications of the solvation parameter model, the polarity parameter model and several classical models based on empirical equations are presented and compared. A main parameter in all these models is the degree of ionization of the acid–base compound, which depends on both the pH of the mobile phase and the acid–base constant of the compound. Thus, on one hand, the different procedures for pH measurement in the mobile phase and their influence on the performance of the models are outlined. On the other hand, equations that relate the variation of the pH of the buffer and the pK_a of the compound with the mobile phase composition and/or temperature are reviewed and their applicability to the retention models critically discussed.     

超临界二氧化碳微乳液中的表面活性剂

介绍了在超临界二氧化碳(SC-CO_2)下形成微乳液的原理和概念,并且按照所应用各种表面活性剂的结构特点对其在SC-CO_2下形成微乳液的能力分别进行比较和归纳,为今后筛选和设计在SC-CO_2下形成微乳液的表面活性剂提供了重要信息。     

Temperature Effect on the Phase Behavior of the Systems Water/TritonX-100,114,405/n-Butanol/n-Hexane

We have investigated the effect of temperature on the phase behavior and the partition coefficients of nonionic surfactants in water/n-hexane systems. We found that the composition of the conjugate single and two phase solution in the pseudoternary diagram is continuously transformed from one state to other by increasing the temperature. We also demonstrated that the partition coefficient of a nonionic surfactant is a measure of the relative hydrophilic-lipophilic nature of the surfactant, if the measurement is performed at low concentration.     

Water/i‐Propanol/n‐Butanol Microemulsions

Water and n‐butanol are immiscible. In this paper, i‐propanol was found to be surface active for both water and n‐butanol using surface tension measurement at 25.0±0.1°C, especially the system with i‐propanol in water displays a pronounced decrease in surface tension with a distinct inflexion point indicating aggregation. Investigation on phase behavior of water/i‐propanol/n‐butanol ternary system at 25.0±0.1°C showed i‐propanol could promote remarkably the miscibility of water and n‐butanol. Cyclic voltammetric technique was employed to locate the micro‐regions in single region, indicating the existence of three micro‐regions of water/n‐butanol, n‐butanol/water and bicontinuous region. Thus, a novel water/i‐propanol/n‐butanol microemulsion without general surfactant is expected to form. Dynamic light scattering also demonstrated the size (hydrodynamic diameter) distribution of the microemulsion, verifying further the formation of the microemulsion droplets.     

Practical aspects of suppressed ion chromatography for cations in human serum

In spite of the good accuracy and precision of ion chromatographic methods for the determination of mono- and divalent cations in human serum, the major drawback with these methods were problems with the membrane suppressor's performance. Here, we described experiments undertaken to solve these problems. We address in particular the use of histidine-sulfuric acid eluents, sample purification with OnGuard-A cartridges and chromatographic “front-cut” for divalent cations. The latter two adaptations, resulting in removal of the anionic species from the sample, were successful in solving the observed suppressor problems. The eluent substitution, moreover, allowed us to switch from the chemical to the electric suppression mode. We believe that these adaptations will allow secure and robust determination of cations in human serum samples with ion chromatography.     

载药微乳液相行为的研究

提出了一种基于相图研究实现纳米药物载体可控制备的方法.采用微乳液控温相图绘制装置绘制了硬脂酸聚烃氧(40)酯(S-40)/聚氧乙烯聚氧丙烯醚嵌段共聚物(F-68)/单硬脂酸甘油酯(GMS)/水体系的拟三元相图,基于电导率测定值确定了微乳液的结构(W/O、双连续相和O/W),该体系同时存在液晶区域.乳化剂S-40/F-68的质量比为7:3.研究了脂溶性药物维甲酸(RA)对微乳液相行为的影响，结果表明RA的加入对微乳液的相行为影响较小.基于相图研究结果制备了维甲酸固体脂质纳米粒(RA-SLN),亚微米粒度分析仪(PCS)测定的平均粒径和透射电镜测试都表明RA-SLN为10 nm左右的球状粒子.     

Control of separation selectivity in micellar electrokinetic chromatography by modification of the micellar phase with solubilized organic compounds

On the basis of the data on the distribution of various neutral solutes between sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles and water, the control of separation selectivity in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) by modification of the micellar phase with organic additives has been proposed and applied to the separation of simple model compounds. It was found that the distribution constants between the micelles and water (K_d,mc), which were determined by means of MEKC, of the solutes possessing hydrophilic functional groups are much larger than those between heptane and water (K_d,hep), whereas the K_d,mc values of the solutes possessing no hydropholic groups are comparable to their K_d,hep values. This indicates that the former solutes are preferentially solubilized in the Stern layer of the micelles and that the latter are located in the hydrocarbon core. In MEKC separations of aromatic compounds and metal acetylacetonates, considerable changes in separation selectivity were caused by the addition of compounds possessing both hydrophilic functional groups such as alcohols, phenol and ketones to the SDS micellar solution. The variations of the retention factors of the analytes could be explained in terms of saturation of the solubilization sites in the Stern layer with the modifiers, specific interaction of the modifiers with the analytes via hydrogen bonding in the micelles, and expansion of the core volume with the hydrocarbon parts of the modifiers. Such effects of the micellar modification could improve the resolution as well as the selectivity of MEKC separations.     

Retention behavior of alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal cations in ion chromatography with an unmodified silica gel column

An unmodified silica gel (Develosil 30-5) column (150×4.6 mm I.D.) has been applied to the ion chromatographic separation of alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal cations. The retention behavior of the above cations on the bare substrate was investigated using a number of weak inorganic and organic acid eluents. During this investigation, several separations were achieved and the most suitable eluent conditions were identified. It was concluded that: (a) 1.5 mM HNO₃-0.5mM pyridine-2,6-dicar☐ylic acid eluent was the most effective for the simultaneous separation of common alkali and alkaline earth metal cations, (b) 1.5 mM oxalic acid eluent resulted in the best separation of alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metal cations, (c) 0.5 mM CuSO₄ eluent could be used for the separation of alkali metal cations alone and (d) 0.5 mM ethylenediamine-oxalic acid eluent at pH 5.5 resulted in themost efficient separation of both alkaline earth and transition metal cations.     

Selectivity differences in the separation of amphipathic alpha-helical peptides during reversed-phase liquid chromatography at pHs 2.0 and 7.0: effects of different packings, mobile phase conditions and temperature

In an ongoing effort to understand the effect of varying reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) parameters on the retention behaviour of peptides, necessary for the rational development of separation/optimization protocols, we believe it is important to delineate the contribution of alpha-helical structure to the selectivity of peptide separations. The present study reports the effects of varying column packing, mobile phase conditions and temperature on RP-HPLC retention behaviour at pHs 2.0 and 7.0 of peptides based on the amphipathic peptide sequence Ac-EAEKAAKEXEKAAKEAEK-amide (with position X in the centre of the hydrophobic face of the alpha-helix), where position X is substituted by L- or D-amino acids. At pH 2.0, an increase in trifluoroacetic acid concentration or the addition of sodium perchlorate to a phosphoric acid-based mobile phase had the similar effect of improving peak shape as well as increasing peptide retention time due to ion-pairing effects with the positively-charged peptides; in contrast, at pH 7.0, the addition of salt had little effect save an improvement in peak shape. Temperature was shown to have a complex influence on peptide selectivity due to varying effects on peptide conformation. In addition, subtle effects on peptide selectivity were also noted based on the column packings employed at pHs 2.0 and 7.0.     

Is click chemistry attractive for separation sciences?

Trends in LC focus on dedicated separation developments spanning different fields of applications ranging from sample preparation to miniaturization. Chromatographic performances result from the porous media, its implantation inside the “column,” and its surface functionalization. Because molecular interactions govern chromatographic phenomena, surface functionalization is still a hot research topic. Besides standard approaches for surface functionalization, the use of new surface chemistry reactions opens new perspectives. Click chemistry belongs to this new class of chemical reactions, characterized by its specificity, compatibility with aqueous media, and high reaction yields. In this frame, we review the use of click chemistry reactions in chromatographic sciences. In a first part, we present click chemistry with a specific focus on its implementation in stationary phases. The use of these new clicked materials is detailed and discussed with respect to the chromatographic mode.     

Polymerization of Cationic Surfactant Films in Microemulsions

Properties of microemulsion phases containing mixtures of polymerizable surfactants, single-chain 11-(methacryloyloxy)undecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and double-chain dodecyl-(11-(methacryloyloxy)undecyl)trimethylammonium bromide, and their acrylate analogues have been studied. SANS has shown how film composition, in terms of single-chain surfmer, can be used as a control variable to optimize phase behavior and physicochemical properties of these multi-component systems. A direct comparison between methacrylate and acrylate systems has shown how surfactant molecular structure can influence microemulsion structure; with methacrylates spherical droplets are formed, whereas with the acrylate analogues there is a transition to cylinders. Free-radical polymerization yield partially encapsulated aqueous domains with retention of parent structure.     

Microemulsions studies: Correlation between viscosity,electrical conductivity and electrochemical and fluorescent probe measurements

Microemulsion systems involving brine and dodecane, and stabilized by sodium dodecylsulfate and both pentanol and heptanol have been investigated. Results of various experiments including conductivity and viscosity measurements, electrochemical diffusion coefficients and fluorescent probe studies have been gathered and compared in order to gain additional understanding of the microemulsion structure. The diffusion coefficients of hydrophilic hydroquinone and hydrophobic ferrocene obtained from the Levich equation at the rotating disc electrode, vary as the self-diffusion coefficients of water and dodecane, respectively; the results are consistent with those obtained by other workers from tracer or NMR self-diffusion studies. The fluorescence analysis of the polarity sensed by pyrene and the microviscosity felt by dipyrenylpropane suggests that the progressive addition of pentanol and dodecane to SDS micelles leads to solubilizate the probes more in the droplet interior where they experience a more hydrophobic environment. The systematic study of the two microemulsion systems provides insight into the microscopic properties of the oil domains in which the fluorescent probes are assumed to be located. In the system stabilized by n-heptanol as cosurfactant, the microviscosity sensed by P(CH₂)₃P is shown to be much lower than the bulk viscosity of the microemulsion. All the results evidence the well-known structural transitions: water continuous, bicontinuous and oil continuous in the single monophasic area of the brine/ SDS/n-pentanol/dodecane system; premicellar aggregates and water swollen micelles in the W/O area of the brine/SDS/n-heptanol/dodecane system.     

Retention prediction and computer-assisted optimization for the separation of PTH-amino acids in isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Summary Retention prediction of phenythiohydantoin amino acid derivatives in isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatography was investigated. The predicted retention data of all derivatives were evaluated by comparing them with actually measured retention data. Excellent agreements between these data were found. The optimized conditions to separate overlapping components can also be predicted using the developed computer-assisted optimization system with the concept of retention prediction.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of some 2- and 4-hydroxy derivatives of 2'-benzoylbenzoic acid on Florisil and silica gel columns

A series of 2'-benzoylbenzoic acid derivatives including some pairs of positional isomers and other related compounds were chromatographed by HPLC using a normal-phase system with polar adsorbents (Florisil and silica) and 2-propanol, 1,4-dioxane and tetrahydrofuran as modifiers of the eluent. The results obtained were compared as log k′_Florisil vs. log k′_silica relationships to ascertain the differences in distribution and chemical character of surface-active centres of the investifated adsorbents and the mechanism of elution in different eluent systems     

Retention modeling in micellar liquid chromatography

The aim of this review is to present the most relevant work on retention modeling in micellar liquid chromatography. First, physico-chemical models explaining the variation of capacity factors with one or more experimental variables (such as micellar concentration, organic modifier concentration, and pH) will be shown. Secondly, studies carried out to model the solute retention in micellar liquid chromatography by means of empirical equations will be presented, and finally new trends in this area will be introduced.