Analysis of basic compounds by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using hybrid inorganic/organic phases at high pH

The retention and mass overload of five bases and a quaternary ammonium compound were studied on a bridged ethyl hybrid inorganic/organic phase (XBridge C18) over a pH range 2.7-12.0 using acetonitrile-phosphate and carbonate buffers. Some comparisons were drawn with results on a methyl hybrid (XTerra) phase. At low pH, rapid mass overload was observed with severe decreases in efficiency as sample mass was increased over the range 0.04-5 microg of solute. At intermediate pH (swpH 7.0), generally good peak shapes for small sample mass were still obtained on the ethyl hybrid, but with somewhat increased tailing of bases compared with swpH 2.7. At higher pH (swpH 10), good peak shape and improved loadability were obtained for moderately strong bases, due to their occurrence mostly as neutral species. However, stronger bases gave poor efficiency, attributed to interaction of the charged basic solute with increasingly ionised column silanol groups. Results were broadly similar on the methyl hybrid at swpH 10. At swpH 11, unusual profiles of increasing followed by decreasing efficiency were obtained on the ethyl hybrid for some bases as sample mass was increased; improved results were obtained at swpH 12. While the column loadability increased substantially at the highest pH studied, tailing for small sample mass was still more severe than at low pH, even though all compounds were <1% ionised in the mobile phase.     

Further investigations of the effect of pressure on retention in ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography

In this study, we investigated further the large increases in retention with pressure that we observed previously in RP-LC especially for ionised solutes. These findings were initially confirmed on a conventional silica C₁₈ column, which gave extremely similar results to the hybrid C₁₈ phase originally used. Large increases in retention factor of ∼50% for a pressure increase of 500 bar were also shown for high MW polar but neutral solutes. However, experiments with the same bases in ionised and non-ionised forms suggest that somewhat greater pressure-induced retention increases are found for ionised solutes. Retention increases with pressure were found to be considerably smaller for a C₁ column compared with a C₁₈ column; decreases in retention with increasing pressure were noted for ionised bases when using a bare silica column in the hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) mode. These observations are consistent with the partial loss of the solvation layer in RP-LC as the solute is forced into the hydrophobic environment of the stationary phase, and consequent reduction in the solute molar volume, while the water layer on the surface of a HILIC packing increases the hydration of a basic analyte. Finally, retention changes with pressure in RP-LC can also be observed at a mobile phase pH close to the solute pK_a, due to changes in pK_a with pressure. However, this effect has no influence on the results of most of our studies.     

Multi-modal applicability of a reversed-phase/weak-anion exchange material in reversed-phase,anion-exchange,ion-exclusion,hydrophilic interaction and hydrophobic interaction chromatography modes

We recently introduced a mixed-mode reversed-phase/weak anion-exchange type separation material based on silica particles which consisted of a hydrophobic alkyl strand with polar embedded groups (thioether and amide functionalities) and a terminal weak anion-exchange-type quinuclidine moiety. This stationary phase was designed to separate molecules by lipophilicity and charge differences and was mainly devised for peptide separations with hydroorganic reversed-phase type elution conditions. Herein, we demonstrate the extraordinary flexibility of this RP/WAX phase, in particular for peptide separations, by illustrating its applicability in various chromatographic modes. The column packed with this material can, depending on the solute character and employed elution conditions, exploit attractive or repulsive electrostatic interactions, and/or hydrophobic or hydrophilic interactions as retention and selectivity increments. As a consequence, the column can be operated in a reversed-phase mode (neutral compounds), anion-exchange mode (acidic compounds), ion-exclusion chromatography mode (cationic solutes), hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode (polar compounds), and hydrophobic interaction chromatography mode (e.g., hydrophobic peptides). Mixed-modes of these chromatographic retention principles may be materialized as well. This allows an exceptionally flexible adjustment of retention and selectivity by tuning experimental conditions. The distinct separation mechanisms will be outlined by selected examples of peptide separations in the different modes.     

β-Diketones: Peak shape challenges and the use of mixed-mode high-performance liquid chromatography methodology to obtain fast,high resolution chromatography

Historically, indirect methods have been used for the HPLC analysis of β-diketone compounds because of the very poor peak shapes and resolution obtained on conventional HPLC stationary phases. In this paper we demonstrate that it is possible to obtain good peak shapes for underivatised β-diketone compounds, in a simulated reaction mixture, using only conventional mobile phases with mixed-mode stationary phase HPLC columns. Optimum conditions were obtained using the mixed-mode reversed-phase strong anion exchange column Primesep B, supplied by SIELC Technologies, with a 0.1% aq. TFA/MeOH gradient method and a column temperature of 55 °C.     

Effect of temperature and flow-rate on analysis of basic compounds in high-performance liquid chromatography using a reversed-phase column

The peak shape and retention of some basic probes together with a neutral reference compound were investigated as a function of temperature and flow-rate using a reversed-phase HPLC column at both pH 3.0 and pH 7.0. The retention of bases often showed an anomalous increase with temperature; retention mechanisms are complex as shown by studies of the effect of buffer cation concentration on retention. Considerable improvements in column efficiency for bases may result from operation at elevated temperature. Improvements did not seem attributable either to incidental changes in the retention factor, or (in this particular study where low sample masses were utilised) to the influence of sample load. The optimum flow-rate for highest efficiency is generally lower for basic compounds than neutrals, and due to the steepness of the Van Deemter curves obtained, high flow-rates appear to be particularly detrimental in the chromatography of basic compounds.     

溴化1-乙烯基-3-十二烷基咪唑硅胶键合固定相制备及其色谱性能

膜脂作为细胞质膜的主要组成部分,在生命活动中扮演着重要的作用,其涉及多种重要疾病的发生和发展过程。发展适用于膜脂分离分析的新型色谱材料对于其后续结构和生物学功能研究具有重要的意义。该文选用具有潜在生物相容性的离子液体溴化1-乙烯基-3-十二烷基咪唑（1-vinyl-3-dodecylimidazole bromide,VDI）为功能单体,通过一步法点击反应将其接枝到巯基功能化硅球表面,制备得到了新型溴化1-乙烯基-3-十二烷基咪唑硅胶键合固定相（Sil-VDI）。利用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪和热重分析仪对Sil-VDI固定相材料的结构进行表征,结果证明Sil-VDI色谱固定相已被成功制备。保留机制研究显示填充Sil-VDI色谱柱具有典型的反相/离子交换混合模式保留特性。基于此,采用不同疏水性物质烷基苯、多环芳烃、苯胺、苯衍生物和无机阴离子BrO₃ ^- 、NO₃ ^- 和IO₃ ^- 为测试物,对所制备固定相的色谱性能进行了研究。结果表明,该固定相对4类疏水性物质和无机阴离子均有较好的分离选择性和良好的峰对称性。进一步研究了所制备的Sil-VDI色谱柱对鸡蛋黄磷脂和肺腺癌细胞提取膜脂的分离效果,结果显示Sil-VDI色谱柱对2种磷脂样品均显示出了良好的分离能力。该文所制备的Sil-VDI色谱固定相合成方法简便,具有良好的分离分析应用潜能,后续工作会进一步研究该固定相在生物样品中的分离分析性能。     

Naphthalene sulphonic acids--new test compounds for characterization of the columns for reversed-phase chromatography

Non-substituted naphthalene sulphonic acids are strong acids, which are completely ionised in aqueous and aqueous-organic solutions. Because of repulsive electrostatic interactions, they are more or less excluded from the pores of the column packing materials commonly used in reversed-phase chromatography. The ionic exclusion can be suppressed by increasing the ionic strength of the mobile phase. In aqueous sodium sulphate solutions, very good selectivity was observed for isomeric naphthalene di- and tri-sulphonic acids, allowing reversed-phase separations of these strongly ionic compounds without addition of ion-pairing reagents to the mobile phase. The retention of the isomeric acids increases proportionally to the dipole moment, which can be explained by its effect on increasing exposure of the naphthalene ring to hydrophobic interactions with the non-polar stationary phases. Chromatographic behaviour of isomeric naphthalene di- and trisulphonic acids was investigated on 25 different columns for reversed-phase chromatography. The elution order of the isomers is the same on all the columns, but very strong stationary phase effects were observed on the retention and on the band asymmetry, depending on polar interactions with residual silanol groups and other polar adsorption centres in the stationary phases. These effects are independent of the organic solvents, as the tests are performed in purely aqueous mobile phases and allow classification of the columns into several groups.     

Development and optimization of a system for comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography with UV and mass spectrometric detection for the separation of complex samples by multi-step gradient elution

Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC x LC) is a powerful tool for the separation of complex biological samples. This technique offers the advantage of simplified automation and greater reproducibility in a shorter analysis time than off-line two-dimensional separation systems. In the present study, an LC x LC system is developed enabling simultaneous UV and MS detection, and which can be easily converted to a conventional reversed-phase LC-UV/MS system. In LC x LC, a 60-min reversed-phase LC separation with a linear solvent gradient in the first dimension is coupled to a second-dimension separation on a mixed-mode cation-exchange/reversed-phase column with a modulation time of 60s. The isocratic separation in the second-dimension column is optimized by the use of a multi-step gradient where the organic and the ionic modifier are varied independently. Intraday (n=3) and interday (n=4) variability of the retention times were evaluated with the complete system and found to be 0.5% and 0.7%, respectively. Good linearity was observed in calibration curves for three different compounds varying in polarity.     

Novel ultra stable silica-based stationary phases for reversed phase liquid chromatography--study of a hydrophobically assisted weak acid cation exchange phase

A mixed-mode reversed-phase/weak cation exchange (RP/WCX) phase has been developed by introducing a small amount of carboxylate functionality into a hydrophobic hyper-crosslinked (HC) platform. This silica-based HC platform was designed to form an extensive polystyrene network completely confined to the particle's surface. The fully connected polymer network prevents the loss of bonded phase, which leads to superior hydrolytic stability of the new phase when compared to conventional silica-based phases. Compared to previously introduced HC phases the added carboxylic groups impart a new weak cation exchange selectivity to the base hydrophobic HC platform. The phase thus prepared shows a mixed-mode retention mechanism, allowing for both neutral organic compounds and bases of a wide polarity range to be simultaneously separated on the same phase under the same conditions. In addition, the new phase offers the flexibility that gradients in organic modifier, pH or ionic competitors can be used to affect the separation of a wide range of solutes. Moreover, the inherent weak acid cation exchange groups allow formic and acetic acid buffers to be used as eluents thereby avoiding the mass spectrometric ionization suppression problems concomitant to the use of non-volatile additives such as strong amine modifiers (e.g. triethylamine) or salts (e.g. NaCl) to elute basic solutes from the strong cation exchange phase which was previously developed in this lab. The use of the new phase for achieving strong retention of rather hydrophilic neurotransmitters and drugs of abuse without the need for ion pairing agents is demonstrated.     

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography for the analysis of aminoglycosides

The effect of mobile-phase constituents (pH and ionic strength) and chromatographic behaviour of ten aminoglycosides (streptomycin, dihydrostreptomycin, spectinomycin, apramycin, paramomycin, kanamycin A, gentamycin C1, gentamycin C2/C2a, gentamycin C1a and neomycin) in the bare silica, amino, amide and zwitterionic phases of hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) were studied systematically. Among the stationary phases studied, the zwitterionic phase provided the best separation of aminoglycosides. The effect of pH, ionic concentration and column temperature on retention time, peak shape and sensitivity was studied using a central composite design. pH affected sensitivity of the detection of analytes but not the retention time. High ionic strength in the mobile phase was necessary to control the ionic interactions between ionised aminoglycosides and the hydrophilic phase, thereby influencing peak shape and retention time. Column temperature affected sensitivity of the detection but not the retention time. During method development, crosstalk between the MS/MS channels of the analytes was observed and resolved.     

The challenges of the analysis of basic compounds by high performance liquid chromatography: Some possible approaches for improved separations

This review considers some of the difficulties encountered with the analysis of ionised bases using reversed-phase chromatography, such as detrimental interaction with column silanol groups, and overloading which both lead to poor peak shapes. Methods of overcoming these problems in reversed-phase (RP) separations, by judicious selection of the column and mobile phase conditions, are discussed. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography is considered as an alternative method for the separation of some basic compounds.     

Rationalisation of unusual changes in efficiency and retention with temperature shown for bases in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography at intermediate pH

Despite the possibility of poorer peak shapes, analysis of pharmaceuticals and other bases using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) at intermediate pH gives useful increases in retention, selectivity and column loading capacity compared with low pH. Retention times of some bases showed anomalous increases with column temperature. Peak shapes for bases improved significantly at elevated temperature (up to 70 degrees C), with the weakest bases studied (pKa approximately 8) giving greater improvement than the strongest bases (pKa approximately 10). In contrast, quaternary ammonium compounds showed reduced retention with increasing column temperature (normal behaviour) and only modest improvements in peak shape. Considering these results, and pKa measurements of the bases made using capillary electrophoresis, it appears that increases in retention and improvement in efficiency may be influenced significantly by reduction in the pKa of bases with temperature, leading to reduction in protonation. It is less likely that efficiency improvements are due to the speeding up of the kinetics of silanol ion exchange, at least in the temperature range studied here.     

Selectivity and efficiency of different reversed-phase and mixed-mode sorbents to preconcentrate and isolate aroma molecules

A comparison of the ability of different sorbent systems, including mixed-mode resins and reversed-phase sorbents, to extract and isolate volatile molecules from hydroalcoholic medium has been carried out by means of the determination of liquid–solid distribution coefficients. Eighteen volatile compounds covering a wide range of physicochemical properties (acids, bases and neutrals) and chemical functionalities, and thirteen different sorbents have been tested. LiChrolut EN and Isolute ENV (both polymeric with high surface area) showed the highest retention capability for nearly all analytes at all pHs tested. Exceptions were 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, most efficiently extracted with Strata XC at acidic pH, and indole best retained with Oasis MCX and Strata XC at any pH. Although nearly all basic compounds were most selectively extracted with cationic mixed-mode resins at acid pHs and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate and m-cresol show maxima α at pH 10 with Oasis MAX, the α values obtained have been relatively low, which suggests that retention is not particularly driven by ionic forces. The study has also shown that selectivity depends on the pH, the exact kind of mixed-mode sorbent and on the polarity of the analyte. High selectivity towards ionogenic compounds can be obtained by combining retention in mixed mode, a rinsing with a non-polar solvent and further elution with a solvent containing a neutralizing agent. However, not all the ionogenic molecules seem to be retained in ionic mode in the conditions tested and the complete elution of some analytes can be difficult, which suggests that analyte-specific isolation procedures should be analyzed case by case.     

Simultaneous determination of cations, zwitterions and neutral compounds using mixed-mode reversed-phase and cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography

A novel mixed-mode reversed-phase and cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is described to simultaneously determine four related impurities of cations, zwitterions and neutral compounds in developmental Drug A. The commercial column is Primesep 200 containing hydrophobic alkyl chains with embedded acidic groups in H(+) form on a silica support. The mobile phase variables of acid additives, contents of acetonitrile and concentrations of potassium chloride have been thoroughly investigated to optimize the separation. The retention factors as a function of the concentrations of potassium chloride and the percentages of acetonitrile in the mobile phases are investigated to get an insight into the retention and separation mechanisms of each related impurity and Drug A. Furthermore, the elution orders of the related impurities and Drug A in an ion-pair chromatography (IPC) are compared to those in the mixed-mode HPLC to further understand the chromatographic retention behaviors of each related impurity and Drug A. The study found that the positively charged Degradant 1, Degradant 2 and Drug A were retained by both ion-exchange and reversed-phase partitioning mechanisms. RI2, a small ionic compound, was primarily retained by ion-exchange. RI4, a neutral compound, was retained through reversed-phase partitioning without ion-exchange. Moreover, the method performance characteristics of selectivity, sensitivity and accuracy have been demonstrated to be suitable to determine the related impurities in the capsules of Drug A.     

Is hydrophilic interaction chromatography with silica columns a viable alternative to reversed-phase liquid chromatography for the analysis of ionisable compounds?

The separation of acidic, neutral and particularly basic solutes was investigated using a bare silica column, mostly under hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) conditions with water concentrations >2.5% and with >70% acetonitrile (ACN). Profound changes in selectivity could be obtained by judicious selection of the buffer and its pH. Acidic solutes had low retention or showed exclusion in ammonium formate buffers, but were strongly retained when using trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) buffers, possibly due to suppression of repulsion of the solute anions from ionised silanol groups at the low (s)(s)pH of TFA solutions of aqueous ACN. At high buffer pH, the ionisation of weak bases was suppressed, reducing ionic (and possibly hydrophilic retention) leading to further opportunities for manipulation of selectivity. Peak shapes of basic solutes were excellent in ammonium formate buffers, and overloading effects, which are a major problem for charged bases in RPLC, were relatively insignificant in analytical separations using this buffer. HILIC separations were ideal for fast analysis of ionised bases, due to the low viscosity of mobile phases with high ACN content, and the favourable Van Deemter curves which resulted from higher solute diffusivities.     

Nylon-6 capillary-channeled polymer fibers as a stationary phase for the mixed-mode ion exchange/reversed-phase chromatography separation of proteins

Capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers extruded from nylon-6 are used as the stationary phase for the ion-exchange/reversed-phase mixed-mode chromatographic separation of a three protein mixture. The nylon-6 C-CP fibers are packed collinearly in a 250 x 1.5-mm i.d. column with an interstitial fraction of approximately 0.6. The effects of four displacing salts at three different pHs are studied with regards to protein retention time, peak width, selectivity, and resolution for a synthetic mixture consisting of myoglobin, ribonuclease A, and lysozyme to determine the optimum mobile phase conditions. The net charge model is found to be inadequate in fully explaining the retention behavior, as the proteins are retained by anion and cation-exchange interactions, as well as hydrophobic interactions with the stationary phase. It is found that pH and displacing salt strength had a significant influence on the retention properties and resolution of the proteins.     

Simultaneous determination of positive and negative pharmaceutical counterions using mixed-mode chromatography coupled with charged aerosol detector

A mixed-mode chromatography coupled with charged aerosol detector (CAD) method was developed in this work to simultaneously determine pharmaceutical counterions including both inorganic ions and organic ions in the forms of cations and anions. 25 commonly used pharmaceutical ions were studied and simultaneously separated within 20 min by this single method. A silica based mixed-mode column with reversed-phase/cation-exchange/anion-exchange modes was used. It provides reversed-phase, strong cation-exchange and weak anion-exchange properties at the same time. It also provides the HILIC behavior at high percentage of organic solvent. The effects of mobile-phase organic strength, buffer ions, ionic strength, pH and column temperature have been investigated to optimize the method as well as to understand the retention and separation mechanisms. Conventional HPLC system was used and no special chromatography system is needed. The presented method has been employed successfully for screening and quantitative analysis of counterions, unknown ionic impurities and salts in active pharmaceutical ingredients and in process control samples with excellent accuracy, precision and sensitivity. This method provides a simple, fast and generic approach to speed up pharmaceutical research and development process and enhance lab efficiency. The similar methodologies can be applied to other ion analysis.     

Study of the selectivity of reversed-phase columns for the separation of polycarboxylic acids and polyphenol compounds

A systematic investigation was undertaken into the relative separation performance of five reversed-phase chromatography columns including some commercially new hybrid packed columns for a series of polycarboxylic acids and polyphenol compounds. Information theory (IT) and factor analysis (FA), together with a basic evaluation of retention information (band shape, retention factor and elution order) were used to compare four columns to a conventional C18 column. The results revealed very little difference in retention behaviour between the Phenomenex Aqua C18 column, the Waters XTerra RP C18 column, and the conventional Phenomenex Luna C18 column. However, there were notable differences in the retention processes between the Phenomenex Synergi polar-RP column, which is an ether-linked phenyl base with polar endcapping, and the Luna C18 column. The most significant differences were observed between the Luna C18 column and a Phenomenex Luna Cyano column. However, the limited degree of retention of the polycarboxylic acids and polyphenol compounds on the Luna Cyano column permits only limited use for the separation of these types of compounds. Overall, the Phenomenex Synergi polar-RP column exhibited the best performance for the separation of the test solutes compared to that of the conventional C18 column, with IT yielding an Informational Similarity of 0.99 and FA a moderate correlation coefficient of 0.70. The Phenomenex Synergi polar-RP column gave the best peak shape and offered substantial selectivity differences thereby providing a good alternative over the conventional C18 column for separating polycarboxylic acids and polyphenols.     

A reversed-phase/hydrophilic interaction mixed-mode C18-Diol stationary phase for multiple applications

A mixed-mode chromatographic packing material, C18 and diol groups modified silica (C18-Diol), was prepared with controllable hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity. It demonstrated excellent aqueous compatibility and stability in aqueous mobile phase; compared to the traditional C18 column, improved peak shape of basic analytes was also obtained. Additionally, it exhibited both reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) and hydrophilic interaction chromatographic (HILIC) performance; the analyte separation scope was thus enlarged, demonstrated by simultaneous separation of twenty acids, bases and neutrals. More interestingly, a novel on-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography on the single column (2D-LC-1C) was established by modifying the high performance liquid chromatographic instrument only with the addition of an extra six-port two-position valve. The early co-eluted components of the extract of Lonicera japonica on the 1st-dimension (RPLC) were collected for the online re-injection to the 2nd-dimension (HILIC) by conveniently varying the mobile phase components. Six more peaks were obtained. The established system was simple, easy operation and low cost, which had advantages in analyzing complicated samples.     

The use of derivatized cyclodextrins as solubilizing agents in the preparation of macroporous polymers employed as amphiphilic continuous beds in capillary electrochromatography

Employing solubilization by complexation with CDs, new mixed-mode monolithic stationary phases for CEC and micro-LC were synthesized. Free radical copolymerization was performed in aqueous solution with a CD-solubilized hydrophobic monomer, a water-soluble crosslinker (piperazinediacrylamide), and a charged monomer (vinylsulfonic acid). Different hydrophobic methacrylate monomers (isobornyl, adamantyl, cyclohexyl, and phenyl methacrylate) were investigated. Chromatographic properties of the synthesized monoliths were studied with aqueous and nonaqueous mobile phases with hydrophobic and polar analytes. Due to the amphiphilic nature of the polymers synthesized, the elution orders obtained correspond to the RP mode and to the normal-phase mode dependent on the polarity of the mobile phase. However, observations made with polar solutes and polar mobile phase can only be explained by a mixed-mode retention mechanism. The influence of the total monomer concentration (%T) on the chromatographic properties and on the specific permeability was elucidated. Run-to-run, day-to-day, and capillary-to-capillary reproducibility of electroosmotic mobility and retention factors were determined. Comparison of retention data with those of a commercial octadecyl silica gel HPLC column reveals that the methylene selectivity of the monolithic capillaries prepared in this study is very similar to that of routinely used octadecyl silica gels.