HPLC in industry—A well established procedure for characterizing RP-stationary phases

Summary A well established totally automated testing procedure for characterization of RP materials is presented. The test is suited to the determination of hydrophobic and silanophilic interactions, as well as trace metal impurities on silica surfaces. it includes measurements of stationary phase stability and shows column performance at two different pH conditions. The very different parameters examined readily reveal batch to batch reproducibility and are therefore suitable for laboratories dealing with quality control and validation of columns. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996     

A study of the behaviour of some new column materials in the chromatographic analysis ofCatharanthus alkaloids

Summary New column-packing materials specially designed for the HPLC analysis of basic compounds have been tested for the analysis ofCatharanthus alkaloids. Mobile phase optimization was performed for each column tested. The influence of mobile phase pH, nature and content of the organic modifier and salt concentration on retention, selectivity and resolution was studied. An important factor in the separation proved to be the pH of the eluent, because of the widely different pK _a values of the analytes. Complete separation was easily achieved on ODS columns, but polymeric materials also gave acceptable results. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996     

Fast supercritical fluid chromatography using capillaries packed with nonporous particles

Summary Packed columns containing microparticles provide high column efficiency per unit time and strong retention characteristics compared with open tubular columns, and they are favored for fast separations. Nonporous particles eliminate the contribution of solute mass transfer resistance in the intraparticle void volume characteristic of porous particles, and they should be more suitable for fast separations. In this paper, the evaluation of nonporous silica particles of sizes ranging from 5 to 25 μm in packed capillary columns for fast supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) using neat CO₂ is reported. These particles were first deactivated using polymethyl-hydrosiloxanes and then encapsulated with a methylphenylpolysiloxane stationary phase. The retention factors, column efficiencies, column efficiencies per unit time, separation resolution, and separation resolution per unit time for fast SFC were determined for various length capillaries packed with various sizes of polymerencapsulated nonporous particles. It was found that 15 μm nonporous particles provided the highest column efficiency per unit time and resolution per unit time for fast packed capillary SFC. Under certain conditions, separations were completed in less than 1 min. Several thermally labile silylation reagent samples were separated in times less than 5 min. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996     

Liquid chromatographic behavior of two alanine‐substituted calix[4]arene‐bonded silica gel stationary phases

Two new kinds of alanine‐substituted calix[4]arene stationary phases of 5,11,17,23‐p‐tert‐butyl‐25,27‐bis(l ‐alanine‐methylester‐N‐carbonyl‐methoxy)‐26,28‐dihyroxycalix[4]arene‐bonded silica gel stationary phase (BABS4) and 5, 11, 17, 23‐p‐tert‐butyl‐25,26,27,28‐tetra(l ‐alanine‐methylester‐N‐carbonyl‐methoxy)‐calix[4]arene‐bonded silica gel stationary phase (TABS4) were prepared and characterized in the present study. They were compared with each other and investigated in terms of their chromatographic performance by using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, disubstituted benzene isomers, and mono‐substituted benzenes as solute probes. The results indicated that both BABS4 and TABS4 exhibited multiple interactions with analytes. In addition, the commonly used Tanaka characterization protocol for the evaluation of commercially available stationary phases was applied to evaluate the properties of these two new functionalized calixarene stationary phases. The Tanaka test results were compared with Zorbax Eclipse XDB C₁₈ and Kromasil phenyl columns, respectively. BABS4 has stronger hydrogen‐bonding capacity and ion‐exchange capacity than TABS4, and features weaker hydrophobicity and hydrophobic selectivity. Both of them behave similarly in stereoselectivity. Both BABS4 and TABS4 are weaker than C₁₈ and phenyl stationary phases in hydrophobicity and hydrophobic selectivity.     

Purity testing of sulfonic acids of different chain length by capillary electrophoresis

Summary A CZE method has been developed for the purity testing of sulfonic acids. By use of an optimized electrolyte system, short analysis times and high resolution (R _S=2–4) can be achieved for inorganic anions and for alkyl sulfonic acids from methane-1- to decane-1-sulfonic acid. By use of indirect UV detection by-products of different sulfonic acids can be determined at the 2 m level, equivalent to 0.02%,w/w. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996     

Analysis of organic pollutants in water at trace levels using fully automated solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A method has been developed for the determination of trace levels of 32 pesticides, 19 explosives and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in water in three individual steps. Solid-phase enrichment (SPE) is coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fully automated system. The organic pollutants are enriched on reusable cartridges packed with adsorbent materials: pesticides and explosives on a mixed bed of divinylbenzene-ethylvinylbenzene copolymers (LiChrolut EN^?) and perfluorinated polyethylene (PolyF^?), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on C₁₈-modified silica (Zorbax^? ODS1). Thermally assisted desorption (TAD) has been shown to increase the recovery of analytes significantly. As all enriched analytes are transferred to the detector, only fifty millilitres of sample is needed for each single on-line analysis, compared with at least a litre for conventional methods. The separation of the enriched organic analytes is performed on specialized HPLC columns based on reversed-phase materials. The limits of detection of the system employed were found to be below 100 ng L⁻¹. Use of fluorescence detection for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons resulted in limits of detection in the upper pg L⁻¹ range. Thek values, number of theoretical plates, the recovery rates and the limits of detection of this method for fast screening of organic pollutants from three fifty-millilitre aqueous samples are described. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996     

Cadmium O‐alkylxanthates as CVD precursors of CdS: a chemical characterization

Cadmium bis(O‐alkylxanthates) are potential single‐source molecular precursors for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of Cd(II) sulfide thin films. In this work, a multi‐technique characterization of Cd(O‐RXan)₂ compounds [where O‐RXan is CH₃CH₂OCS₂ (O‐EtXan) or (CH₃)₂CHOCS₂ (O‐ⁱPrXan)] is performed by means of several analytical methods (extended x‐ray absorption fine structure, Raman, Fourier transform infrared and optical absorption, spectroscopics ¹H and ¹³C NMR, thermal analysis and mass spectrometry) for a thorough investigation of their structure and chemical–physical properties. The most important results concerning the chemical behavior under different experimental conditions, with particular attention to relevant properties for CVD applications, are presented and discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecular weight characterization of soluble high performance polyimides. 2. Validity of universal SEC calibration and absolute molecular weight calculation

Six different soluble high-performance aromatic polyimides, each prepared by solution imidization to three controlled average molecular weights, were analyzed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) using on-line parallel coupled refractometric and viscometric detectors. N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) with 0.06 M LiBr and NMP stirred over P₂O₅ were used as mobile phase for four of the polyimides; NMP with 0.06 M LiBr and NMP stirred over P₂O₅ were used as mobile phases for four of the polyimides; NMP with 0.06 M LiBr tetrahydrofuran (THF) and chloroform served as mobile phases for the other two polyimides. For all the samples the stationary phase in the SEC columns was cross-linked polystyrene beads. Molecular weight averages of the polyimides were calculated using universal SEC calibration with polystyrene standards in each solvent. The agreement of the calculated molecular weight averages in the different solvents confirms that the universal SEC calibrations are valid for these semiflexible polymers. There was good agreement with weightaverage molecular weights obtained by low-angle laser light scattering (LALLS) performed in pure NMP. Intrinsic viscosity and molecular weight data for a series of nine samples of one polyimide covering a M_w = 20,000–70,000 g mol^–1 interval were treated to obtain Mark-Houwink-Sakurada constants. Unperturbed chain dimensions of this polyimide were obtained by application of the Stockmayer-Fixman extrapolation procedure to these data. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Design of Electrochemically Modified fMWCNT‐pencil Graphite Electrode Decorated with Cu and Ag Nanofilm and its Electrocatalytic Behavior Towards Imazethapyr

Herein, a facile procedure was developed for designing an electrochemical sensor based on pencil graphite electrode modified with electrochemically synthesized silver and copper nanoparticles (AgNP and CuNP) supported on functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f MWCNTs). The electrochemical and morphological characterization was carried out by cyclic voltammetry, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Powder X‐ray diffraction, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy. The designed sensor exhibited electrocatalytic behavior towards the reduction of Imazethapyr. Results indicates the combination of AgNPs, CuNPs and f MWCNTs on PGE produced remarkable enhancement in electrocatalytic and sensing properties. Various electro‐kinetic parameters like R_ct, k_app, n, α, E⁰, k⁰, Γ, D and k have been evaluated by CV, impedance and Chronoamperometric studies. The electrochemical performance was improved by optimizing the effect of pH, scan rate, amount of f MWCNTs and deposition parameters of AgNP and CuNP. The sensor was efficaciously applied for determination of Imazethapyr and exhibited a linear correlation in the concentration range of 0.01–5.0 μg mL⁻¹ with low detection limits, 0.159 ng mL⁻¹ using AdSWV. The fabricated sensor exhibited good accuracy, acceptable stability and high efficacy for quantitative determination of Imazethapyr in real samples with notable recoveries ranging from 98 % to 100.2 %.     

New SPE column packing material: Retention assessment method and its application for the radionuclide chromatographic separation

The preparation of the OASIS?-HLB sorbent based solid phase extraction (SPE) resins and their application for the ¹⁷⁷Lu radioisotope separation were investigated. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) orthophosphoric acid (HDEHP) impregnated OASIS-HLB sorbent based SPE resins (OASIS-HDEHP) were successfully developed from this investigation. The wettable porosity structure of the moderately extractant impregnated OASIS-HDEHP resins is favorable for the effective diffusion of polar and ionic solutes giving good separation performance. Its good wetting ability offers ease of packing into conventional chromatographic columns. Their off-gassing-free operation makes OASIS-HDEHP columns good for long term use with highly consistent elution dynamics (several dozens of separations perfectly achievable on the same column). The simple method for the capacity factor (k’) evaluation was developed to facilitate the characterization of the SPE chromatographic resin column. A competent procedure using OASIS-E30RS resin (one member of the OASIS-HDEHP resin group) for the separation of no-carrier added (n.c.a) ¹⁷⁷Lu from the bulk amount of Yb target was developed. This separation procedure has showed very good performance with several prominent advantages such as the much shorter separation time (5–6 hours) and high reproducibility. Its high adsorption capacity for Yb and Lu makes it ideal for the separation of the bulky sample (50 mg Yb target for the 20 g weight resin column) for the production of the several Ci of ¹⁷⁷Lu radioactivity.     

Au@poly(N‐propargylamide) Nanoparticles: Preparation and Chiral Recognition

This communication reports the first gold nanoparticles (NPs) chirally functionalized with optically active helical substituted polyacetylene (the resulting hybrid particles are defined as Au@PPA NPs). The novel nanoparticles consist of gold as core and optically active helical poly(N‐propargylamide) as shell and show considerable optical activity derived from helical poly(N‐propargylamide) chains with predominantly one‐handed screw sense. The Au@PPA NPs are prepared by a three‐step approach: i) a thiol‐containing N‐propargylamide monomer [M_th, HC≡CCH₂NHCO(CH₂)₁₀SH] is synthesized and characterized with FTIR and¹HNMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis; ii) a copolymer (poly(M_th‐co‐M_ch)) was prepared by starting from monomer M_th and another chiral N‐propargylamide monomer (M_ch); poly(M_th‐co‐M_ch) formed helical conformations and showed optical activities; and, iii) Au@PPA NPs are prepared from hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (III) and poly(M_th‐co‐M_ch) through a one‐spot procedure by using LiBH₄ as reducing agent. The as‐obtained hybrid nanoparticles are characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, TEM, UV‐vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD) techniques. UV‐vis and CD measurements demonstrated the remarkable optical activity of the Au@PPA NPs. More interestingly, the Au@PPA NPs show much stronger UV‐vis and CD sigals when compared to the corresponding orginal helical copolymer, poly(M_th‐co‐M_ch). The chiral hybrid nanoparticles demonstrate different absorption toward (R)‐(+)‐ and (S)‐(−)‐1‐phenylethylamines, preferentially adsorbing the (S)‐isomer.

     

Determination of column selectivity toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

An empirical test is described for the evaluation of column selectivity in reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Using a test mixture of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), overall column selectivity toward PAH was assessed for over 20 different commercial C₁₈ columns. Retention behavior was correlated to phase type (i.e., monomeric and polymeric surface modification chemistry) for custom synthesized phases. A classification scheme is proposed in which commercial C₁₈ columns are grouped into three classes based on retention behavior: monomeric-like, polymeric-like, and intermediate phase selectivity toward PAH. Correlation of retention behavior of the test mixture with the separation of PAH mixtures and with more general column properties (e.g., phase thickness) is discussed.     

Evaluation of As and Sb Mobility in Contaminated Stream Sediments

Single and sequential extraction procedures were applied to four sediment samples collected from an industrially polluted region of Eastern Slovakia. A sequential extraction procedure (SEP) for sediments recommended by the IRMM (Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements) – was applied and used as a reference extraction method. Single-step extraction (for soils) with 0.05 mol L⁻¹ ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was slightly modified for this study of sediments. The removal ability of “Na₂EDTA extraction” was compared with the SEP recommended by the IRMM. After optimisation, the elements’ contents extracted into Na₂EDTA were in good agreement with the sum of the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th step of SEP for As and Sb. Therefore Na₂EDTA extraction can serve as a supplementary test to the SEP recommended by the IRMM (under locally tested conditions). Alternatively, optimised extraction of sediments in chelating agents could be applied as an economically interesting and time-saving supplementary test to routinely used SEPs. This paper describes the sample preparation and the analytical results for each extraction step and compares the results with those of total element analyses (performed by an independent method) for As and Sb.     

Three Functionalized Zinc(II)/Cobalt(II) Coordination Complexes Demonstrating Fluorescent Sensing Activities towards Fe3+ Ions and Photocatalytic Selectivity for Organic Dyes

Three new zinc(II)/cobalt(II) coordination complexes [Zn(HBTB)(L)_0.5] ( 1 ), [Zn(HCPPA)(L)] ( 2 ), and [Co(HCPPA)(L)] · 2H₂O ( 3 ) [H₃BTB = 1,3,5-tri(4-carboxylphenyl)benzene, H₃CPPA = 5-(4-carboxyl-phenoxy)-isophthalic acid, L = N¹,N⁴-bis(3-pyridyl)naphthaldiamide] were solvothermally synthesized. The structural characterization reveals that complex 1 represents a 3D coordination framework with a binodal 3,4-connected {4.10²}₂{4.10⁵}₂ topology constructed from the 2D [Zn(HBTB)]_n polymeric double-layers and the bidentate L ligands. Complex 2 is a 1D metal-organic chain derived from the dinuclear [Zn₂(HCPPA)₂] loops and [Zn₂(L)₂] loops. Complex 3 possesses a binodal 3,5-connected {4².6}{4³.6.8⁴.10²} topological 2D layered architecture based on the [Co₂(HCPPA)₂] ribbon chains and the bidentate L ligands. For 2 and 3 , their adjacent chains or layers are respectively stacked into 3D supramolecular architectures via the hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the fluorescent and fluorescent sensing activities towards small solvent molecules of coordination complexes 1 and 2 , the photocatalyitc properties of 1 – 3 towards organic dyes were studied.     

Study of mechanism and kinetic modeling of CO hydrogenation reaction over the impregnated Co-Ni/Al2O3 catalyst

An investigation of the kinetic and mechanism of CO hydrogenation reaction was performed on impregnated Co-Ni/Al₂O₃. Determination of kinetic parameters from the experiments was carried out in a micro fixed-bed reactor. Kinetic evaluations were performed under various operational conditions of T = 473–673 K, p = 1–14 bar, H₂/CO = 1–3, and GHSV = 4,500 hr⁻¹. Kinetic models and rate equations for CO consumption were obtained by using two main-type rate equations of Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) and Eley-Rideal (ER). Estimation of various kinetic parameters was performed using a nonlinear regression method. According to the obtained experimental results and using statistical criteria, one kinetic expression based on the LHHW mechanism (-r_CO = k_p.b_CO.P_CO. b_H2. P_H2/[1+ b_CO.P_CO + b_H2.P_H2]²) was chosen as the best-fitted model. For this fitted model, the activation energy was found to be 109.2 kJ/mol. Characterization of the catalyst was also performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDS) techniques.     

Determination of soluble ions and elements in ambient air suspended particulate matter: Inter-technique comparison of XRF, IC and ICP for sample-by-sample quality control

In this paper, we describe a validation procedure for chemical fractionation analysis of elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, S, Sb, Si, Sr, Ti and V) and soluble ions (Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, Na⁺, NH₄⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) in suspended particulate matter (PM). The procedure applies three distinct measurement techniques (XRF, IC and ICP-OES) to the analysis of individual samples. The techniques used generate different outputs at different stages in the procedure. This makes it possible to identify the contributions of specific parameters to measurement uncertainty. On this basis, we propose a scheme for controlling the analytical quality of data from individual samples in which inter-technique comparisons is used in the same way many analytical methods use surrogates. We apply this scheme to about 310 samples of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 identifying and assessing the main factors contributing to measurement uncertainty. This procedure successfully resolved a number of difficulties frequently encountered during the analysis of PM, including lack of appropriate reference materials and the low reliability of alternative techniques of quality control. The results demonstrate the critical importance of sample treatment prior to destructive analysis by IC and ICP.     

New dynamic axial compression columns with means for monitoring floating adapter position. Column design and utilisation in low pressure LC on soft packings

Summary The design of new dynamic, axial-compression columns with a system for continous packed bed adjustment and monitoring of the floating adapter position is described. The columns are meant for liquid chromatography at low pressures (up to 8 bar) in aqueous and organic media with stationary phases of all types. The columns have adapter position pickups for continuous automatic monitoring of the bed height (original “swellographic” monitoring). The column described with gas pressurisation was tested with soft Sephadex G-10 and G-25. In spite of the reduction in external porosity there was no dramatic increase in back-pressure. The column proved to provide long-term stability of the packed bed and improvement in resolution. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996     

Sorption processes in ion-exchange chromatography of viruses

Purified viruses are used in gene therapy and vaccine production. Ion-exchange chromatography (IEC) is the most common method for large-scale downstream purification of viruses and proteins. Published IEC protocols provide details for specific separations but not general methods for selecting operating parameters. To make the selection more systematic, we study adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) as a model virus and develop batch uptake and light scattering methods for optimizing the ionic strength and pH of adsorption, as well as providing heuristics for resin geometry. The static capacity for Ad5 was found to go through a maximum with increasing ionic strength. Comparison to a protein-resin system shows that resin capacity for the virus is at least an order of magnitude lower, even on a wide-pore resin. Virus penetration into the wide-pore resin is only partial and the uptake rate is an order of magnitude slower than the uptake onto a narrow-pore resin.