Influence of column design on process-scale ion-exchange chromatography

The performance of two new designs of pump-packed axial flow process chromatography columns have been evaluated for the preparative anion-exchange chromatography of hen egg-white proteins using Whatman Express-Ion Exchanger Q. A 16 1 Side-Pack column and a 24 1 IsoPak column containing Express-Ion Q were used in this study. In each case ca. 20 1 feedstock containing 5-7 g protein/l, was applied per litre packed bed at flow-rates of ca. 150 and 300 cm/h. In each case the ovalbumin binding capacity was ca. 70 g/l packed bed with ca. 100% (w/w) recovery of applied protein. A clean-in-place procedure involving storage in 0.5 M NaOH was effective in maintaining chromatographic performance in all cases. These data were consistent with our previous work using the more traditionally configured slurry-packed axial flow columns. Each of these column designs were easy to use facilitating rapid packing with this adsorbent and in the case of IsoPak rapid pump unpacking. The introduction of these column designs significantly improves the task of column packing, hitherto a labour intensive, physically demanding and potentially unreproducible process.     

The reverse auto-compression system: a new type of column for preparative liquid chromatography

Axial compression of the stationary phase is an easy technique for packing preparative liquid chromatography columns. However, the compression piston often needs an important external device to move the external jack. A new type of column is described which uses an auto-compression system to move the piston and compress the packing material. The system is fitted with a new annular injector which is known to reduce the peak tailing. The results of the tests demonstrate the ease of use of this column, its efficiency and stability.     

A new type of capillary column for gas chromatography

A new type of capillary column for gas chromatography was proposed. A sorbent layer (for example, stationary liquid phase) is supported on the internal capillary surface, and the internal (interstitial) volume is packed with nonporous large particles of a sorbent (particle diameter is 0.1—0.6 of the capillary internal diameter). The external surface of the particles can also be coated with the sorbent layer (for example, stationary liquid phase). The specific separation efficiency (number of separation) on the new type column is by 1.6—2.3 times higher than that of the initial classical capillary column.     

Advantages of a small-volume counter-current chromatography column

Counter-current chromatography (CCC) works with a support-free liquid stationary phase. This allows for preparative separations and purifications. However, there are serious technical constraints because of the need to keep a liquid stationary phase in a column. Centrifugal fields are used. A new commercial hydrodynamic 18 mL column made with a narrow-bore 0.8 mm Teflon tubing was evaluated by comparing it with older hydrodynamic CCC columns and a similar 19 mL column but made with 1.6 mm Teflon tubing. A small-volume CCC column allows for reliable and fast solute partition coefficient determination. When resolution is required, both high efficiency and liquid stationary phase retention are needed. Unfortunately, these two requirements bear technical contradictions. A column coiled with a narrow tubing bore will provide a high chromatographic efficiency while a column containing wider tubing bore will achieve higher stationary phase retention. In all cases, increasing the magnitude of the centrifugal field also increases the stationary phase retention. The solution is to build centrifuges able to produce high fields that will provide acceptable liquid phase retention with narrow-bore tubes. The new 18 mL 0.8 mm tubing bore column is able to rotate as fast as 2100 rpm generating a 240 × g field. The two older CCC columns cannot compete with the new one. However, the small 19 mL column with 1.6 mm bore tubing can be useful when fast results are desired without top resolution.     

Flat-twisted tubing: Novel column design for spiral high-speed counter-current chromatography

The original spiral tube assembly for high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) is further improved by a new tube configuration called “flat-twisted tubing” which was made by extruding the tube (1.6 mm I.D.) through a narrow slot followed by twisting along its axis forming about 1 cm twisted screw pitch. This modification interrupts the laminar flow of the mobile phase through the tube and continuously mixes the two phases through the column. The performance of this spiral tube assembly was tested by three types of two-phase solvent systems with different polarities each with a set of suitable test samples such as DNP-amino acids, dipeptides and proteins at the optimal elution modes. In general all these test samples yielded higher resolution with the lower mobile phase than the upper mobile phase. In the most hydrophobic two-phase solvent system composed of hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–0.1 M hydrochloric acid (1:1:1:1, v/v/v/v), DNP–amino acids were separated with Rs-a (peak resolution based on the same column capacity adjusted for comparison) at 4.40 and 73% of stationary phase retention at a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min with the lower mobile phase. In the polar solvent system composed of 1-butanol–acetic acid–water (4:1:5, v/v/v), dipeptide samples were resolved with Rs-a at 4.06, compared to 2.79 with the cross-pressed tube assembly at 45% stationary phase retention, each at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. Finally in the aqueous–aqueous polymer phase systems composed of polyethylene glycol 1000 – dibasic potassium phosphate each 12.5% (w/w) in water, protein samples were resolved with Rs-a at 2.53 compared to 1.10 with the cross-pressed tube assembly at 52% of stationary phase retention, each at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. These results indicate that the present system substantially improves the partition efficiency with a satisfactory level of stationary phase retention by the lower mobile phase.     

The use of silicalite as a column packing for steam-solid chromatography

Chromatographic-grade silica gel can be converted to a form of the high-silica zeolite silicalite-1, which is suitable for use as a gas chromatographic column packing and can be used with steam as carrier gas in a suitably modified chromatograph. The material has the expected molecular sieve properties and lends itself to some novel separations based on molecular size and shape. The behaviour of lower aliphatic alcohols and chlorohydrocarbons, acetone and xylenes is reported.     

Column design. 3. Theoretical studies of a chiral stationary phase used in column chromatography

Conformational features of a chiral stationary phase used in column chromatography are discussed. The syn forms invoked in chiral recognition models are consistent with MNDO and MM2 calculations. It is speculated that the inherent flexibility of the syn form makes these phases effective templates for analyte binding.     

Fast gas chromatography: packed column solvating gas chromatography versus open tubular column gas chromatography

Packed capillary column solvating gas chromatography (SGC) and open tubular column gas chromatography (GC) were compared with respect to their potentials for fast separations. A recently introduced "universal" peak capacity equation was used to compare the performance of these two methods. The effects of various factors on peak capacity were investigated. Results demonstrate that retention factor and column efficiency are the main factors affecting peak capacity for fast separations. Packed columns produce both high retention factors and high selectivities. While high efficiencies and high peak capacities can be demonstrated by both techniques, open tubular column GC can surpass packed capillary column SGC in both measurements, except for the case of the analysis of simple mixtures in short analysis times, where retention factor and selectivity become important. Practical aspects such as pressure drop and sample capacity are compared for SGC and open tubular column GC. It was found that packed column SGC demonstrates higher sample capacities, but requires much higher column inlet pressures than open tubular column GC. A variety of mobile phases can be used for packed column SGC, which can provide high solvating power for large and polar compounds.     

Application of a new zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction chromatography column for determination of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins

A novel method for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins which is based on the chromatographic separation of the toxins using a zwitterionic (ZIC) hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) column is presented. Efficient retention of the polar PSP toxins on the ZIC-HILIC column allowed their selective and sensitive determination by the application of mass spectrometric (MS/MS) detection or as derivatives after oxidation prior to fluorescence detection (FD). Low buffer concentrations and the omission of ion-pair reagents decreased the limits of detection (LODs) by MS/MS analysis and showed a good linearity for both methods of detection. This method can be applied for the qualitative and quantitative determination of PSP toxins in various types of phytoplankton, and for the routine analysis of seafood.