Reliability of the retention factor estimations in liquid chromatography

The retention factor is one of the most universally used parameters in chromatography. However, large differences in the experimental retention factor values are observed when the same compound is injected in a given stationary/mobile phase system under intermediate precision conditions. Conventional protocols for estimating retention factors have problems that mainly arise from difficulties in the hold-up time measurements and the omission of the existence of extra-column times by practicing chromatographers. In the present paper, three different approaches for estimating retention factors are tested: (i) classical retention factor estimations based on the gross hold-up time, (ii) based on the real hold-up time (taking into account the extra-column time), and (iii) a new approach that uses 'relative' retention factors based on the use of an external standard. Assays are performed in micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) under intermediate precision conditions (different days, equipments, columns lengths, and mobile phase flow rates). The reliability of the three approaches tested is evaluated by means of precision studies, analysis of factors affecting retention factors, and uncertainty calculations. The approach based on 'relative' retention factors was found to be the most precise, reliable, and robust strategy for estimating retention factors.     

Foundations of retention in partition chromatography

The connection between the observable output in column chromatography (retention time, retention volume, retention factor, separation factor, etc.) and system properties (hold-up volume, pressure, temperature, isotherm behavior, etc.) is discussed from a practical and mechanistic perspective for gas–liquid chromatography, reversed-phase liquid chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography, micellar electrokinetic chromatography, and capillary electrochromatography. The unifying feature of these techniques is that retention can be described by a partition model, although not always exclusively. When over simplistic system models are used to explain variation in retention parameters they frequently mask the true reasons for poor repeatability and difficulties in transfer between system. Methods employing relative retention afford higher precision but may contain residual uncorrected errors. For those systems with several separate mechanisms contributing to retention the effective retention parameters can no longer be interpreted by simple partition models. The broadly based and practically focused material in this article affords an illustration of the often complicated relationship between system properties and retention, and the dangers that lurk in simplified retention models if the validity of their underlining approximations is not appropriate for the system under study.     

Thermodynamics‐based modelling of gas chromatography separations across column geometries and systems,including the prediction of peak widths

Thermodynamics‐based models have been demonstrated to be useful for predicting retention time and peak widths in gas chromatography and two‐dimensional gas chromatography separations. However, the collection of data to train the models can be time consuming, which lessens the practical utility of the method. In this contribution, a method for obtaining thermodynamic‐based data to predict peak widths in temperature‐programmed gas chromatography is presented. Experimental work to collect data for peak width prediction is identical to that required to collect data for retention time prediction using approaches that we have presented previously. Using this combined approach, chromatograms including retention times and peak widths are predicted with very high accuracy. Typical errors in retention time are < 0.5%, while errors in peak width are typically < 5% as demonstrated using polycycic aromatic hydrocarbons and a mixture containing compounds with aldehyde, ketone, alkene, alkane, alcohol, and ester functionalities.     

色谱保留时间在蛋白质组研究中的应用

液相色谱与串联质谱联用(LC-MS/MS)技术是蛋白质组学研究中的常见方法。保留时间作为独立于质谱信息的参数已经被用于蛋白质的鉴定和定量工作中。在多肽鉴定领域,多肽的色谱保留时间预测与常规的二级串联质谱数据库搜索算法结合可以提高鉴定的可信度。鉴定的灵敏度也可以通过匹配多次LC-MS实验中具有相同精确质量数和保留时间的峰而提高。另一方面,由于色谱条件的微小改变即会引起保留时间的变化,因此对多次实验结果进行保留时间比对是进行非标记定量的不可或缺的步骤。另外,联合保留时间偏移和质量数信息还可以进行蛋白质翻译后修饰(post-translational modification, PTM)的鉴定。     

Stationary phase effects in reversed-phase chromatography II. Substituent selectivities for retention on various hydrocarbonaceous bonded phases

Summary Linear free-energy relationships are manifest in the linear dependence of the logarithmic retention factor on the carbon number for homologous series in reversedphase chromatography and allow the comparison of the free-energy increments of substituents for retention of a given elute by different stationary phases. Three methods were used for such comparison. In the first two, methylene group selectivities obtained from retention data obtained with homologous series on different hydrocarbonanceous bonded phases were compared by using different approaches. In the third method the energetics of retention of the end groups such as phenyl-, bromo- and disulfide-moieties of homologous series were examined. The results show that at fixed mobile phase composition and temperature the free energy increments due to methylene groups upon retention by alkyl-silica stationary phases are identical. Only hydrocarbonaceous bonded phases with short (C₁–C₂) alkyl chains or functional groups of unusual shape show consistent differences from octyl- or octadecyl-silicas. The results broaden the theoretical basis for the development of quantitative structure-retention relationships to be used for the prediction or interpretation of retention data in reversed-phase chromatography.Part I: ref. [23]Dedicated to Professor István Halász for his six tieth birthday.     

Comparison of theoretical and experimental models for characterizing solvent properties using reversed phase liquid chromatography

Theoretical and experimental quantitative structure–retention relationships (QSRR) models are useful for characterizing solvent properties and column selectivity in reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC). The chromatographic behavior of a model analyte, the herbicide atrazine, in a system derived from nine organic solvents and three chromatographic columns was used for developing QSRR models. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were used as statistical approaches. The similarities and differences between linear solvation energy relationships (LSER), and semi-empirical and theoretical molecular models were demonstrated. QSRR models show high predictive power, and can successfully predict retention factor (log k) for new solvents. The models are useful for solvent optimization and reducing time for method development in RPLC. The herbicide atrazine can be readily analyzed at a low level, and all three columns provided good resolution, high-performance and symmetrical peaks. The method is suitable for analysis of atrazine in water samples.     

Approaches to characterise chromatographic column performance based on global parameters accounting for peak broadening and skewness

Peak broadening and skewness are fundamental parameters in chromatography, since they affect the resolution capability of a chromatographic column. A common practice to characterise chromatographic columns is to estimate the efficiency and asymmetry factor for the peaks of one or more solutes eluted at selected experimental conditions. This has the drawback that the extra-column contributions to the peak variance and skewness make the peak shape parameters depend on the retention time. We propose and discuss here the use of several approaches that allow the estimation of global parameters (non-dependent on the retention time) to describe the column performance. The global parameters arise from different linear relationships that can be established between the peak variance, standard deviation, or half-widths with the retention time. Some of them describe exclusively the column contribution to the peak broadening, whereas others consider the extra-column effects also. The estimation of peak skewness was also possible for the approaches based on the half-widths. The proposed approaches were applied to the characterisation of different columns (Spherisorb, Zorbax SB, Zorbax Eclipse, Kromasil, Chromolith, X-Terra and Inertsil), using the chromatographic data obtained for several diuretics and basic drugs (β-blockers).     

Hold-up time in gas chromatography I. New approach to its estimation

A new procedure to reach a good estimate of the hold-up time value (t_M) in gas chromatography is presented. The value of t_M obtained lies close to the experimental retention time of neon, the gas which has shown the shortest retention time in the columns studied. The new method, based on the retention of n-alkanes, is easily applied with any personal computer and may be used with detectors which do not respond to permanent gases. The procedure is reliable, produces very reproducible hold-up times and the value of t_M obtained may be safely used to calculate both chromatographic and thermodynamic parameters.     

Fingerprint analysis of Ligusticum chuanxiong using hydrophilic interaction chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Fingerprint analysis is considered one of the most powerful approaches to quality control in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). In this study, a binary chromatographic fingerprint analysis was developed using hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) to gain more chemical information about polar compounds and weakly polar compounds. This method was used to construct a chromatographic fingerprint of Ligusticum chuanxiong. The two chromatographic methods demonstrated good precision, reproducibility, and stability, with relative standard deviations of <2% for retention time and 7% for peak area for both HILIC and RPLC separations. Data from the analysis of 14 samples by HILIC and RPLC were processed with similarity analysis, with correlation coefficients and congruence coefficients. This binary fingerprint analysis, using two chromatographic modes, is a powerful tool for characterizing the quality of samples, and can be used for the comprehensive quality control of TCMs.     

Preparation and characterization of phosphatidylcholine‐coated zirconia–magnesia stationary phase for artificial membrane chromatography

Immobilized artificial membrane chromatography stationary phase was prepared by coating soybean phosphatidylcholine (PC) on zirconia–magnesia micro‐particles. The stability and chromatographic properties were investigated and compared with the PC‐coated silica chromatography stationary phase prepared by the same method. PC‐coated zirconia–magnesia chromatography stationary phase was more stable than the silica especially on resisting organic solvents. Hydrophobic action was the main factor for the retention of analyte on the new artificial membrane chromatography stationary phase, and electrostatic interaction had some contribution to retention. In addition, the special interaction between analyte and matrix affected retention greatly. Basic solutes were appropriate to be analyzed on PC‐coated zirconia–magnesia stationary phase and acidic solutes were appropriate to be done on the silica one. Hence, the two different matrices artificial membrane stationary phases were perfectly complementary.     

Heteroscedasticity of retention factor and adequate modeling in micellar liquid chromatography

The two concepts of micelle formation (pseudo-phase and mass-action) could be the basis of retention models in micellar liquid chromatography (MLC). The separation of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid esters and seven polyaromatic hydrocarbons were performed to study the repeatability of retention factor in MLC. The full two factor experimental design was used for studying the dependence of retention factor variance on mobile phase composition (sodium dodecylsulfate, 1-butanol). The experimentally observed heteroscedasticity and perturbations after linearization were taken into account by using statistical weights obtained on the basis of errors propagation law and the modeling of retention by non-weighted and weighted least squares method was performed. The mechanistical retention models based on pseudo-phase and mass-action concepts of micelle formation were compared by fitting quality and prediction capability and high robustness of bilogarithmic dependence was observed. The significance of retention factor heteroscedasticity for retention hydrophobicity relationships was shown.     

基于深度学习的保留时间预测方法的研究进展及应用

在基于液相色谱-质谱联用的蛋白质组学研究中,肽段的保留时间作为有效区分不同肽段的特征参数,可以根据肽段自身的序列等信息对其进行预测.使用预测得到的保留时间辅助质谱数据鉴定肽段序列可以提高鉴定的准确性,因此对保留时间预测的工作一直受到领域内的广泛关注.传统的保留时间预测方法通常是根据氨基酸序列计算肽段的理化性质,进而计算...     

A general strategy for performing temperature-programming in high performance liquid chromatography--prediction of segmented temperature gradients

In the present work it is shown that the linear elution strength (LES) model which was adapted from temperature-programming gas chromatography (GC) can also be employed to predict retention times for segmented-temperature gradients based on temperature-gradient input data in liquid chromatography (LC) with high accuracy. The LES model assumes that retention times for isothermal separations can be predicted based on two temperature gradients and is employed to calculate the retention factor of an analyte when changing the start temperature of the temperature gradient. In this study it was investigated whether this approach can also be employed in LC. It was shown that this approximation cannot be transferred to temperature-programmed LC where a temperature range from 60°C up to 180°C is investigated. Major relative errors up to 169.6% were observed for isothermal retention factor predictions. In order to predict retention times for temperature gradients with different start temperatures in LC, another relationship is required to describe the influence of temperature on retention. Therefore, retention times for isothermal separations based on isothermal input runs were predicted using a plot of the natural logarithm of the retention factor vs. the inverse temperature and a plot of the natural logarithm of the retention factor vs. temperature. It could be shown that a plot of lnk vs. T yields more reliable isothermal/isocratic retention time predictions than a plot of lnk vs. 1/T which is usually employed. Hence, in order to predict retention times for temperature-gradients with different start temperatures in LC, two temperature gradient and two isothermal measurements have been employed. In this case, retention times can be predicted with a maximal relative error of 5.5% (average relative error: 2.9%). In comparison, if the start temperature of the simulated temperature gradient is equal to the start temperature of the input data, only two temperature-gradient measurements are required. Under these conditions, retention times can be predicted with a maximal relative error of 4.3% (average relative error: 2.2%). As an example, the systematic method development for an isothermal as well as a temperature gradient separation of selected sulfonamides by means of the adapted LES model is demonstrated using a pure water mobile phase. Both methods are compared and it is shown that the temperature-gradient separation provides some advantages over the isothermal separation in terms of limits of detection and analysis time.     

A new approach to the determination of relative retention in thin-layer liquid chromatography

The relative retention values in chromatography depend on the experimental conditions to a lesser degree than the absolute values. Unfortunately, according to IUPAC recommendations, the relative retention values in planar and column chromatography are different. Therefore, a new equation is proposed to determine relative retention in TLC and a new method and new value are introduced to determine it experimentally. The equation is identical in principle to that used in column chromatography. Using the proposed equation, the relative retention value can be determined with a smaller error.     

Prediction of elution bandwidth for purine compounds by a retention model in reversed-phase HPLC with linear-gradient elution

In reversed-phase liquid chromatography, the retention mechanism of solute has been studied under linearly programmed gradient mobile-phase conditions. The separation of a mixture of four purine compounds (purine, theobromine, theophylline, and caffeine) was considered as a practical case in two binary mobile phase systems, water/methanol and water/acetonitrile. The retention model which describes how the retention factor is related to the mobile-phase composition has been developed in various mathematical forms to predict the retention time in both linear and gradient elutions. For a pulse injection of sample, two important factors, the retention time and the bandwidth of solute, might be computable to predict the elution profiles estimated by the distribution function, such as the Gaussian distribution function. In this work, a prediction method based on the analogue of the retention model was proposed to calculate the bandwidth in linear gradient elutions. Band broadening was caused by the different migration velocities of the front and rear ends of the solute band in a chromatographic column. Therefore, the migration behaviors of the front and rear ends of the solute band were explained with the same retention model which had been used to predict the retention time of solute. For the well retained solutes, theophylline and caffeine, the predicted bandwidth and experimentally obtained bandwidth showed good agreement in both isocratic and gradient elutions.     

Effect of Column Temperature on the Retention of Inorganic Anions and Organic Acids in Non-Suppressed Anion-Exchange IC

An investigation has been conducted into the effect of column temperature on the retention of inorganic anions and organic acids in non-suppressed ion chromatography on an anion-exchange column. Potassium biphthalate and p-hydroxybenzoic acid–tris–boric acid were used as mobile phases. The column temperature was from 25 to 50 °C. Endothermic and exothermic retention of inorganic anions were both observed when potassium biphthalate was used as mobile phase. When p-hydroxybenzoic acid–tris–boric acid was used as mobile phase, however, endothermic behavior only was observed. Moreover, for the two mobile phases, variation of the retention time of the system peaks with changing temperature was reversed. For retention of the organic acids, only endothermic behavior was observed with the two mobile phases. Variation of retention time was greater when p-hydroxybenzoic acid–tris–boric acid was used as mobile phase than when potassium biphthalate was used. These results indicated the exchange reaction in anion-exchange chromatography could be either endothermic or exothermic, depending on the solute and mobile phase ions involved. Different relative changes of retention time were observed for individual inorganic anions and organic acids with increasing column temperature. In general, variation of retention time with increasing temperature was greater for strongly retained inorganic anions and organic acids than for weakly retained species. Van’t Hoff plots for inorganic anions, organic acids, and system peaks were linear. Selectivity variation of the retention of inorganic anions and organic acids was achieved by changing the temperature. In achieving optimum separation of inorganic anions and organic acids, temperature was a valuable tool. To reduce the retention times of the ions and avoid interference from system peaks in non-suppressed anion-exchange ion chromatography with the two mobile phases, a low column temperature, for example, 35 °C, was best.     

Considerations for the automated collection of thermodynamic data in gas chromatography

Thermodynamic modeling of retention times in gas chromatography depends on the accurate estimation of thermodynamic parameters. Previous research has used manual injections of samples with coinjection of a dead time marker to obtain accurate measurements of the retention factor of analytes. Ideally this process would be automated. Herein an approach is presented by which thermodynamic parameters can be estimated both autonomously and accurately. This method also allows for a consistent estimation of thermodynamic parameters regardless of factors such as data system delays and the nature of the void time marker employed. Ignoring these factors can lead to significant errors in the prediction of retention times when using thermodynamic models.     

Theory of retention in reversed phase liquid chromatography with ternary mobile phases

The partition model of retention is developed for reversed phase liquid chromatography with multicomponent mobile phases. Simple equations for the retention and selectivity in ternary mobile phases are derived. For the systems in which the ratio of volume fractions of organic modifiers remains fixed, new linear dependences for retention factor and selectivity are proposed. These equations are successfully used to describe experimental data found in the literature. An influence of the nature of organic solvents and proportion in which they are mixed on retention and selectivity is discussed.