Deactivation of fused silica capillary columns with cyanopropylhydrosiloxanes

A method is described for surface deactivation and modification of fused silica capillary columns with a cyanopropyl-containing reagent. The deactivation procedure involved a dehydrocondensation reaction between a bis(cyanopropyl)methylhydropolysiloxane reagent and surface silanol groups at an optimum temperature of only 250°C. Actual critical surface tension measurements were made using the capillary rise method. Excellent deactivation for acidic and basic compounds at the low ng level, and wettability for nonpolar and polar polysiloxane stationary phases were obtained. A procedure was developed to remove acidic impurities that are present in polar stationary phases.     

Deactivation of fused silica capillary columns with phenylhydrosiloxanes

In this work, an investigation of new organosilicon hydride reagents with phenyl functional groups for deactivation and surface modification of fused silica capillary columns is described. Different reagents were tested for their ability to deactivate the fused silica surface, and actual critical surface tension measurements were made using the capillary rise method. The deactivation procedure required lower optimum temperatures than conventional methods. Deactivated capillaries and coated capillary columns were prepared and tested for reproducibility, efficiency, and surface inertness towards basic and acidic compounds at the low nanogram level.     

High temperature gas chromatography: The development of new aluminum clad flexible fused silica glass capillary columns coated with thermostable nonpolar phases: Part 1

With the simultaneous development of blank aluminum clad flexible fused silica glass capillary tubing capable of withstanding temperatures up to 500°C, coincident with a series of special high temperature methyl polysiloxane polymers, it was possible to produce for the first time, long lived fused silica capillary columns containing thin films of thermostable stationary phases which could be maintained isothermally at 400425°C and temperature programmed to 425–440°C. The “bleed rate” here for a well conditioned column was 5 picoamperes or less. Under these circumstances, alkanes with carbon numbers in the C-90 to C-100 area were rapidly and efficiently eluted from these columns. By extrapolation here, one can easily detect certain compounds with boiling points in the 750°C range. Since this type of capillary column was found to possess certain favorable properties, it was thought that it will soon replace the packed column and will probably be more popular than the borosilicate capillary column for many high temperature applications. Moreover, evidence has now accumulated which leads us to further believe that the majority of analyses of “high molecular weight” compounds performed by Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC), utilizing very narrow bore fused silica capillary columns at several hundred atmospheres, can be much more simply, much more rapidly, much more economically, and much more efficiently accomplished by gas chromatography utilizing this new generation of high temperature capillary columns.     

High temperature silylation of glass capillary columns

This paper describes the results of a study on the deactivation of the surface of glass capillary columns by high temperature silylation (HTS). The different steps, leaching, washing, dehydration and HTS were optimized. A practical procedure yielding a high percentage of very good columns is given. The influence of leaching and HTS on the temperature stability and coating efficiency of capillary columns coated with OV-1 was studied. The inertness of the glass surface after HTS is demonstrated by several examples.     

The preparation of immobilized stationary phase fused silica capillary columns with OV-1701-vinyl deactivation

A new simplified method was developed for the preparation of immobilized stationary phase fused silica capillary columns coated with OV-1-vinyl, SE-54, and OV-1701-vinyl. This methodology includes the application of the moderately polar stationary phase OV-1701-vinyl as a surface deactivation agent that may also participate in the dicumyl peroxide initiated free radical immobilization process. Practical details of the procedure are presented and applications of the laboratory-produced columns are illustrated with capillary gas chromatographic separations of standard mixtures. Possible contributions of the OV-1701-vinyl deactivation layer to both crosslinking and surface bonding in the immobilization process are discussed.     

Siloxane/silarylene copolymers as stationary phases for capillary gas chromatography. Part II: Phenylsubstituted polymers

A commercially available silanol terminated silicone stationary phase, OV-61-OH (33% phenyl), and two phenyl-substituted siloxane/silarylene copolymers, Sila 3 (27% phenyl) and 4 (35% phenyl), have been evaluated for use as stationary phases in fused silica capillary columns for gas chromatography. Ulterations in column adsorptive activity, separation efficiency, stationary phase film thickness and selectivity after column conditioning for 50 h at 370°C have been studied. A high thermal stability was experienced with the stationary phases tested here. For OV-61-OH, the best thermal stability was obtained when coated on untreated fused silica, which illustrates the importance of grafting reactions here. The heat treatment resulted in some deactivation of adsorptive sites in the column. A higher degree of column deactivation was achieved when surface silylation was performed prior to coating. High thermal stability was achieved with Sila 3 when coated on such surfaces. Sila 3 would thus be preferred in cases when high thermal stability in combination with high dsorptive inertness is desired. Sila 4 showed low column bleeding at 370 °C, but prolonged heating at this temperature resulted in the broadening of n-alkane peaks when eluted at 90 °C. This indicates that excessive crosslinking has taken place during the heat treatment and the minimum allowable column operation temperature is thereby increased to ca. 120 °C. The separation of aza-arenes and of triglycerides are shown as applications.     

A cold silanization method for preparation of medium polarity capillary columns

Silane-coupling agents, commonly used for fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP), were applied for deactivation of silanol sites in glass capillary columns prior to coating with mediumpolarity phases such as Carbowax and Superox. The columns, prepared in a two-stage process in the case of glass (acidic leaching and drying, dynamic cold silanization followed by static coating with the phase) or a one stage process in the case of fused silica, gave the best results when deactivation and hence wettability were induced by glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane.     

Loss of water during heat treatment of acid leached glass and fused silica capillary columns

A study was carried out on the effects of acid leaching of capillary column wall materials. Leaching experiments with glass and fused silica were performed under static and dynamic conditions; moreover, the influence of the temperature was investigated. The amount of water released during different temperature programs was measured with a microwave plasma detector. Different leaching conditions and column wall materials cause considerable variations in water production. These results probably explain the disappointing deactivation efficiency obtained for fused silica and dynamically leached soft glass if HMDS is used. Evidence was found for an increase in surface area due to acid leaching.     

Glass capillary gas chromatography of highly polar solutes like diols,acids and amines deactivation of fused silica and pretreated alkali glass support surfaces

Summary The method of support surface deactivation by PSD (alkylpolysiloxane degradation) at temperature between 300 and 450°C previously described was used to deactivate both fused silica and alkali glass surfaces of capillary columns. The latter surfaces had to be pretreated before deactivation with aqueous HCl leaching or by the dealkalisation method using flowing HCl gas at 450°C and subsequent rinsing with water for alkali removal. Excellent alkylpolysiloxane columns with regard to tailing and irreversible adsorption of highly polar solutes have been obtained on both fused silica and the pretreated alkali glass. Fused silica does not require pretreatment before deactivation by the PSD-method, however. Good polyethyleneglycol (Carbowax 20 M) columns can also be obtained by coating the two types of surfaces when no deactivation is necessary. Deactivation by the PSD method cannot be applied in this case because polar stationary liquids do not adhere to alkylpolysiloxane deactivated surfaces. Sample capacity problems arising when separating highly polar solutes with non-polar stationary phases have also been investigated.     

An investigation of glasses for capillary chromatography

An investigation was conducted of various glasses, other than soda lime or borosilicate, for use in glass capillary gas chromatography. The work has uncovered some unique chromatographic qualities in the use of potash soda lead and fused silica glasses as materials for making glass capillary columns. The fused silica proved to be an ideal material for capillary column construction, being inherently more inert than glass containing metal oxides. It has been shown that through the use of thin wall capillary tubing of high flexibility many of the mechanical problems associated with glass capillary columns, such as fragility and column straightening, can be avoided.     

High temperature gas chromatography on narrow bore capillary columns

The use of high-temperature-stable, medium polarity glass capillary columns coated with immobilized PS-090 (a 20 % diphenyl-substituted, CH₃O-terminated polydimethylsiloxane) has made it possible to analyze routinely, and with good separation efficiency, high molecular weight compounds such as triglycerides and free base porphyrins. Cold on-column injection was used throughout this work to avoid discrimination against involatile compounds, and disposable (fused silica) retention gaps were used to protect the column against contamination with involatile material. On-column injection into narrow bore glass columns was achieved by using glass-to-silica connections to attach wider bore (0.2 mm i.d.) deactivated fused silica tubing to the columns.     

Twenty years of glass capillary columns. An empirical model for their preparation and properties

Both the invention of the capillary drawing machine and the preparation and successful use of the first glass capillary column were achieved by Desty and his group in 1959. This paper attempts to describe the glass capillary column in a general way, including the spreading of liquid phases of different polarity and solid surfaces with different chemical and geometrical structures, and surface activity (as a source of essential column characteristjcs such as film stability, adsorptive and catalytic activity, acidity, and thermostability). The model is entirely based on experimental evidence. It is shown that today's apolar columns may closely approach ideal performance, such as is conceivable at the present time, while a severe gap still exists between the actual and the ideal characteristics of polar columns. The problem lies in the necessity of using considerably active support surfaces for polar coatings, yielding columns with reduced upper temperature limits, and of restricted suitability concerning the nature of sample. It is hoped that progress in the field of surface roughening may produce an inert support which is wettable by polar phases.     

Preparation of thermally stable phenylpolysiloxane fused silica capillary columns. Optimization and evaluation of the deactivation by capillary GC and solid state 29Si NMR

The deactivation of fused silica capillary columns with a laboratory-made poly-diphenylvinylmethylhydrosiloxane copolymer has been investigated. The deactivation obtained at different temperatures and reaction times is characterized with a dual column capillary GC system [1]. In parallel, the effect of the silylation temperatures and reaction times on the nature, the structure, and the chemical properties of the deactivation layer has also been studied by solid-state ²⁹Si NMR spoctroscopy. A fumed silica, Cab-O-Sil M5, was used as a model substrate for these spectroscopic studies. The deactivated fused silica capillaries show an excellent thermal stability (up to 400°C), a high resistance to solvolysis, and a minimal interaction to various critical test components. A good wettability of the fused silica capillary columns deactivated with this reagent was confirmed by successful subsequent coating with polysiloxanes with different phenyl contents.     

Use of hydrolyzed chlorosilanes for the preparation of high resolution glass capillary columns

Summary A new procedure for the preparation of high resolution open tubular glass capillary columns is described. This procedure involves the preparation of polysiloxane polymers obtained by alkaline hydrolysis of alkyl chlorosilane. The mixture of polysiloxane polymers is then coated on the wall of previously HCl treated glass capillary columns using a dynamic method. A base-catalysed reaction using gaseous ammonia, applied to the coated polymers leads to a stable chemically bonded stationary phase, with non-polar characteristics. This type of column is easier to prepare than conventional ones and exhibits excellent chromatographic properties, both with regard to their resolution, stability and reproducibility. The flexibility of this method permits the use of other types of commercially available chlorosilanes (i.e. methylphenyl chlorosilane) to prepare polar polysiloxane polymers suitable for analysis of complex biochemical mixtures, such as steroid metabolites.     

Characterization of glass,quartz, and fused silica capillary column surfaces from contact-angle measurements

Summary This paper describes the systematic characterization of glass and the newly introduced fused silica and quartz capillary columns from surface wettability measurements. Common gas chromatographic stationary phases were used in capillary-rise measurements at temperatures up to 300°C. By construction of Zisman plots and using the Cassie equation, the relative surface concentrations of wettable and non-wettable groups were determined. By application of the Fowkes equation, the dispersion force component of the surface energy was investigated. The influence of various surface treatments such as leaching, silylation, and polymeric film formation are discussed. Wettability measurements were also used to evaluate the thermostability of various treated surfaces and to compare the surface properties of glass, quartz, and fused silica. The wettability of the surfaces with selected stationary phases as a function of temperature is also discussed.     

Approaches for the coating of capillary columns with highly phenylated stationary phases for high-temperature GC

Two highly phenylated tetramethyl-p-silphenylene-diphenylsiloxane copolymers were coated on fused silica capillary columns and used as stationary phases in GC. The copolymers offered new insights into the coating process and column preparation due to their physicochemical properties. The fused silica capillary surface had to be pretreated in various ways to achieve a homogeneous film and a well deactivated surface: etching with ammonium bifluoride; leaching with sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid; silylation with tetraphenyldimethyldisilazane and triphenylsilylamine. Droplet formation was observed on tetraphenyldimethyldisilazane silylated surfaces leading to capillary columns with low separation efficiency. The topology of inhomogeneous films was investigated by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy. It became apparent that the stationary phase did not form droplets but islands, which are connected by a wetting layer according to the Stranski-Krastanov growth mode. Both copolymers are potential stationary phases for high-temperature GC with promising properties. They offer a higher overall polarity than 75% phenyl, 25% methyl-polysiloxanes in combination with increased thermal stability and reduced bleed levels.     

Preparation of glass capillary columns

Summary Glass capillary column chromatography is the most rapidly growing part of gas chromatography. There are many complex new analytical tasks and they require special capillary columns. Fortunately there is a wide range of column preparation methods available, and they make the preparation of glass capillary columns a more varied job than that of packed columns. In this paper these methods are reviewed and suggestions are given for making task-oriented columns.     

Determination of surface hydroxyl concentration on glass and fused silica capillary columns

Summary The concentration of surface hydroxyl groups on three types of capillary columns was determined by exchanging the hydroxyl protons with tritium. The tritium was quantified by combustion to tritiated water followed by scintillation counting. The number of hydroxyl groups on a leached and presumably hydroxylated Pyrex glass capillary column was found to be about 2.8 groups per square nanometer. This value was slightly less than the 4.6 groups per square nanometer that is generally accepted for a fully hydroxylated porous silica. Dehydroxylation of the same glass by heating at 600°C left only 0.4 groups per square nanometer while an untreated fused silica had only 0.2 groups per square nanometer.Dedicated to Dr. Leslie S. Ettre for his 60th birthday.     

Polyimide polymer glass-free capillary columns for gas chromatography

Polymeric polyimide capillary tubing, both uncoated and coated with stationary phases of two polarities, is explored for use as capillary columns for gas chromatography (GC). These glass-free polyimide columns are flexible and their small winding diameter of less than a cm around a solid support makes them compatible for potential use in portable GC instruments. Polyimide columns with dimensions of 0.32 mm i.d. × 3 m are cleaned, annealed at 300°C, and coated using the static method with phenylmethylsilicone (PMS). Separations of volatile organics are investigated isothermally on duplicate sets of polyimide columns by GC with a flame ionization detector using split injection. Unlike the uncoated ones, the coated polyimide columns successfully separate Grob test mix classes of alkanes, amines, and fatty acid methyl esters. The relative standard deviations for retention time and peak area are 0.5 and 2.5 , respectively. With the 3 m PMS-coated column connected to a retention gap to permit operation at its optimum flow rate of 30 cm/s, a plate count of 3200 or plate height of 1 mm is possible. Lack of retention and tailing peaks are evident for the polyimide polymer capillary columns as compared to that of a 3 m commercial cross-linked PMS fused silica capillary. However, headspace analyses of an aromatic hydrocarbon mix and a Clearcoat automotive paint sample are viable applications on the PMS polyimide polymer column.     

Glass capillary columns for separation of free organic acids

Glass capillary columns have been prepared without acidic additive in the stationary phase, from which free organic acids elute as sharp and symmetrical peaks. The required surface in the borosilicate glass capillary was generated by a combination of leaching with aqueous HCl and deposition of colloidal silica particles; it can be coated with stationary phases have a broad range of polarity. Aqueous samples containing free organic acids can also be analyzed in such columns in an isothermal mode.