Tetra‐proline‐modified calix[4]arene‐bonded silica stationary phase for simultaneous reversed‐phase/hydrophilic interaction mixed‐mode chromatography

A new water‐soluble tetra‐proline‐modified calix[4]arene‐bonded silica stationary phase was prepared straightforwardly by an indirect method and characterized by elemental analysis, energy dispersive Spectrometry, solid‐state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Due to the simultaneous introduction of polar tetra‐proline and nonpolar calix[4]arene, the developed column possessing a double retention mode of reverse‐phase liquid chromatography and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography. A series of hydrophobic and hydrophilic test samples, including nucleosides and nucleotides, amines, monosubstituted benzenes, chiral compounds, and phenols, were used to evaluate the developed stationary phase. A rapid separation capability, high separation efficiency, and selectivity were achieved based on the multiple interactions between solutes and tetra‐proline‐modified calix[4]arene‐bonded silica stationary phase. Moreover, the developed stationary phase was further used to detect and separate hexamethylenetetramine in rice flour. All the results indicated the potential merits of the developed stationary phase for simultaneous separation of complex hydrophobic and hydrophilic samples with high selectivity.     

Temperature‐induced conformational transition of bovine serum albumin in neutral aqueous solution by reversed‐phase liquid chromatography

The temperature‐induced conformational transition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in neutral aqueous solution was studied using intrinsic fluorescence emission spectrum, reversed‐phase liquid chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the conformation transition thermodynamic parameters were determined in the temperature range 12–50 °C. The results showed that, in the temperature range 12–20 °C, BSA only existed in a single conformation state A, while in the temperature range 22–50 °C, it existed in two different conformation states: A and B. The percentage of conformation state A decreased while that of conformation state B increased with the increase in temperatures, and when temperature approached 50 °C conformation state B accounted for approximately 25% of all conformation states of BSA. In the conformational transition of BSA from conformation state A to conformation state B, the positive enthalpy change, entropy change and free energy changes demonstrated that the conformational transition was endothermic, nonspontaneous and mainly entropy‐driven. © 2013 The Authors. Biomedical Chromatography published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography: A promising alternative to reversed‐phase liquid chromatography systems for the purification of small protonated bases

The overloaded band profiles of the protonated species of propranolol and amitriptyline were recorded under acidic conditions on four classes of stationary phases including a conventional silica/organic hybrid material in reversed‐phase liquid chromatography mode (BEH‐C₁₈), an electrostatic repulsion reversed‐phase liquid chromatography C₁₈ column (BEH‐C₁₈+), a poly(styrene‐divinylbenzene) monolithic column, and a hydrophilic interaction chromatography stationary phase (underivatized BEH). The same amounts of protonated bases per unit volume of stationary phase were injected in each column (16, 47, and 141 μg/cm³). The performance of the propranolol/amitriptyline purification was assessed on the basis of the asymmetry of the recorded band profiles and on the selectivity factor achieved. The results show that the separation performed under reversed‐phase liquid chromatography like conditions (with BEH‐C₁₈, BEH‐C₁₈+, and polymer monolith materials) provide the largest selectivity factors due to the difference in the hydrophobic character of the two compounds. However, they also provide the most distorted overloaded band profiles due to a too small loading capacity. Remarkably, symmetric band profiles were observed with the hydrophilic interaction chromatography column. The larger loading capacity of the hydrophilic interaction chromatography column is due to the accumulation of the protonated bases into the diffuse water layer formed at the surface of the polar adsorbent. This work encourages purifying ionizable compounds on hydrophilic interaction chromatography columns rather than on reversed‐phase liquid chromatography columns.     

Online high‐pH reversed‐phase liquid chromatography × low‐pH reversed‐phase liquid chromatography tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry combined with pulse elution gradient in the first dimension for the analysis of alkaloids in Macleaya cordata (willd.) R. Br

An online high‐pH reversed‐phase liquid chromatography× low‐pH reversed‐phase liquid chromatography tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry combined with pulse elution gradient in the first dimension was constructed to separate and identify alkaloids from Macleaya cordata (willd.) R. Br. The modulation was performed by using a dual second dimensional columns interface combined with a make‐up dilution pump, which is responsible for dilution and neutralization of the first dimensional effluent, and the dual second dimensional columns integrated the trapping and the separation function to reduce the second dimension system dead volume. Taking advantage of the dissociable characteristics of alkaloids, mobile phases with different pH values were applied in the first dimension (pH 9.0) and the second dimension (pH 2.6) to improve the orthogonality of two‐dimension separation. Besides, the pulse elution gradient in first dimension and second dimensional gradient were carefully optimized and much better separation was achieved compared to the separation with the traditional two‐dimensional liquid chromatography approach. Finally, mass measurement was performed for alkaloids in M. cordata (willd.) R. Br. by coupling proposed two‐dimensional liquid chromatography system with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, and 39 alkaloids were successfully identified by comparing the obtained result with the former reported results.     

Preparation of a monolithic column with a mixed‐mode stationary phase of reversed‐phase/hydrophilic interaction for capillary liquid chromatography

A monolithic capillary column with a mixed‐mode stationary phase of reversed‐phase/hydrophilic interaction chromatography was prepared for capillary liquid chromatography. The monolith was created by an in‐situ copolymerization of a homemade monomer N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐acryloxyundecyl‐N‐(3‐sulfopropyl) ammonium betaine and a crosslinker pentaerythritol triacrylate in a binary porogen agent consisting of methanol and isopropanol. The functional monomer was designed to have a highly polar zwitterionic sulfobetaine terminal group and a hydrophobic long alkyl chain moiety. The composition of the polymerization solution was systematically optimized to permit the best column performance. The columns were evaluated by using acidic, basic, polar neutral analytes, as well as a set of alkylbenzenes and Triton X100. Very good separations were obtained on the column with the mixed‐mode stationary phase. It was demonstrated that the mixed‐mode stationary phase displayed typic dual retention mechanisms of reversed‐phase/hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography depending on the content of acetonitrile in the mobile phase. The method for column preparation is reproducible.     

Purification of lignans from Fructus Arctii using off‐line two‐dimensional supercritical fluid chromatography/reversed‐phase liquid chromatography

As a common traditional Chinese medicine, Fructus Arctii has important clinical medical values. Its main components are lignans, which are difficult to separate and analyze because of the complex composition, similar chemical structures, and close properties. In this study, an off‐line two‐dimensional supercritical fluid chromatography/reversed‐phase liquid chromatography method, as well as an effective sample pretreatment method based on hydrophilic interaction chromatography material, was developed to enrich the minor lignan fractions and obtain high‐purity compounds. In total, 12 high‐purity compounds were isolated from Fructus Arctii . Their structures were identified by using high‐resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which showed that all were lignans and that most of them were isomers. The results demonstrated the effective off‐line two‐dimensional supercritical fluid chromatography/reversed‐phase liquid chromatography method for the purification of lignans from Fructus Arctii . The separation protocol established here will be beneficial for the separation of complex samples from other kinds of natural products.     

Poly(l‐lactic acid)‐modified silica stationary phase for reversed‐phase and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

Poly(l ‐lactic acid) is a linear aliphatic thermoplastic polyester that can be produced from renewable resources. A poly(l ‐lactic acid)‐modified silica stationary phase was newly prepared by amide bond reaction between amino groups on aminopropyl silica and carboxylic acid groups at the end of the poly(l ‐lactic acid) chain. The poly(l ‐lactic acid)‐silica column was characterized in reversed‐phase liquid chromatography and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with the use of different mobile phase compositions. The poly(l ‐lactic acid)‐silica column was found to work in both modes, and the retention of test compounds depending on acetonitrile content exhibited “U‐shaped” curves, which was an indicator of reversed‐phase liquid chromatography/hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography mixed‐mode retention behavior. In addition, carbonyl groups included into the poly(l ‐lactic acid) backbone work as an electron‐accepting group toward a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and provide π–π interactions.     

Dicationic imidazolium ionic liquid modified silica as a novel reversed‐phase/anion‐exchange mixed‐mode stationary phase for high‐performance liquid chromatography

A dicationic imidazolium ionic liquid modified silica stationary phase was prepared and evaluated by reversed‐phase/anion‐exchange mixed‐mode chromatography. Model compounds (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and anilines) were separated well on the column by reversed‐phase chromatography; inorganic anions (bromate, bromide, nitrate, iodide, and thiocyanate), and organic anions (p‐aminobenzoic acid, p‐anilinesulfonic acid, sodium benzoate, pathalic acid, and salicylic acid) were also separated individually by anion‐exchange chromatography. Based on the multiple sites of the stationary phase, the column could separate 14 solutes containing the above series of analytes in one run. The dicationic imidazolium ionic liquid modified silica can interact with hydrophobic analytes by the hydrophobic C₆ chain; it can enhance selectivity to aromatic compounds by imidazolium groups; and it also provided anion‐exchange and electrostatic interactions with ionic solutes. Compared with a monocationic ionic liquid functionalized stationary phase, the new stationary phase represented enhanced selectivity owing to more interaction sites.     

Study of triacontyl-functionalized monolithic silica capillary column for reversed-phase capillary liquid chromatography

A novel stationary phase triacontyl-functionalized monolithic silica capillary column was successfully prepared for reversed-phase capillary liquid chromatography. The performance of the monolithic silica capillary column coated with triacontyl chain for the separation of alkylbenzenes, xylene isomers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixture of α- and β-carotenes was studied, which was compared to that using the monolithic silica capillary column coated with octadecyl chain. The comparison results showed that triacontyl-functionalized monolithic silica capillary column would be a promising media to be used for the separation of isomeric solutes with long chain in reversed-phase capillary liquid chromatography.     

Imidazolium‐embedded iodoacetamide‐functionalized silica‐based stationary phase for hydrophilic interaction/reversed‐phase mixed‐mode chromatography

A novel imidazolium‐embedded iodoacetamide‐functionalized silica‐based stationary phase has been prepared by surface radical chain‐transfer polymerization. The stationary phase was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, and element analysis. Fast and efficient separations of polar analytes, such as nucleosides and nucleic acid bases, water‐soluble vitamins and saponins, were well achieved in hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode. Additionally, a mixed mode of hydrophilic interaction and reversed‐phase could be also obtained in the analysis of polar and nonpolar compounds, including weak acidic phenols, basic anilines and positional isomers, with high resolution and molecular‐planarity selectivity, outperforming the commercially available amino column. Moreover, simultaneous separation of polar and nonpolar compounds was also achieved. In conclusion, the multimodal retention capabilities of the imidazolium‐embedded iodoacetamide‐functionalized silica‐based column could offer a wide range of retention behavior and flexible selectivity toward hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds.     

Predicting retention in reverse‐phase liquid chromatography at different mobile phase compositions and temperatures by using the solvation parameter model

The prediction capability of the solvation parameter model in reverse‐phase liquid chromatography at different methanol‐water mobile phase compositions and temperatures was investigated. By using a carefully selected set of solutes, the training set, linear relationships were established through regression equations between the logarithm of the solute retention factor, logk, and different solute parameters. The coefficients obtained in the regressions were used to create a general retention model able to predict retention in an octadecylsilica stationary phase at any temperature and methanol‐water composition. The validity of the model was evaluated by using a different set (the test set) of 30 solutes of very diverse chemical nature. Predictions of logk values were obtained at two different combinations of temperature and mobile phase composition by using two different procedures: (i) by calculating the coefficients through a mathematical linear relationship in which the mobile phase composition and temperature are involved; (ii) by using a general equation, obtained by considering the previous results, in which only the experimental values of temperature and mobile phase composition are required. Predicted logk values were critically compared with the experimental values. Excellent results were obtained considering the diversity of the test set.     

Some observations regarding different retention properties of HPLC stationary phases

Summary The retention of 32 monocyclic aromatic compounds and 14 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been studied on four different bonded phases in each of two mobile phases. An additional data set of 21 monocyclic aromatics judiciously chosen for their well-established solvatochromic parameters, 12 PAHs and 12 polychlorinated biphenyls (containing up to 10 chlorines), were studied on a single column. The results indicate that despite the accuracy of the solvatochromic linear solvation energy method for predicting and correlating the octanol/water partition coefficients and water solubilities of these environmentally important materials, the methodology is limited to only certain types of bonded phases. As a corollary to this observation, we caution others that the common practice of estimating log K_ow (K_ow=octanol-water partition coefficient) based on measurement of the reversed-phase capacity factors should be limited to specific types of columns. Part 5 of Solute-Solvent Interactions in Chemistry and Biology.     

Porous silica particles grafted with an amphiphilic side‐chain polymer as a stationary phase in reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography

The amphiphilic polymer‐grafted silica was newly prepared as a stationary phase in high‐performance liquid chromatography. Poly(4‐vinylpyridine) with a trimethoxysilyl group at one end was grafted onto porous silica particles and the pyridyl side chains were quaternized with 1‐bromooctadecane. The obtained poly(octadecylpyridinium)‐grafted silica was characterized by elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. The degree of quaternization of the pyridyl groups on the obtained stationary phase was estimated to be 70%. The selective retention behaviors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons including some positional isomers were investigated using poly(octadecylpyridinium)‐grafted silica as an amphiphilic polymer stationary phase in high‐performance liquid chromatography and results were compared with commercially available polymeric octadecylated silica and phenyl‐bonded silica columns. The results indicate that the selectivity toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exhibited by the amphiphilic polymer stationary phase is higher than the corresponding selectivity exhibited by a conventional phenyl‐bonded silica column. However, compared with the polymeric octadecylated silica phase, the new stationary phase presents similar retention behavior for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons but different retention behavior particularly for positional isomers of disubstituted benzenes as the aggregation structure of amphiphilic polymers on the surface of silica substrate has been altered during mobile phase variation.     

Comparison of reversed‐phase liquid chromatography and hydrophilic interaction chromatography for the fingerprint analysis of Radix isatidis

Radix isatidis is a famous anti‐influenza virus herbal medicine traditionally taken as a water decoction. However, the chemical fingerprint analysis of Radix isatidis is dominantly based on RPLC, from which it is difficult to obtain fingerprint information of hydrophilic compounds. Here, we developed the separation of Radix isatidis by RPLC and hydrophilic interaction chromatography, comparing the traditional RPLC fingerprint with the hydrophilic interaction chromatography fingerprint. Besides, an anti‐viral assay of Radix isatidis was conducted to evaluate its efficacy. The fingerprint–efficacy relationships between the fingerprints and the anti‐viral activity were further investigated with principal component regression analysis. The results showed that the anti‐viral activity correlated better with the hydrophilic interaction chromatography fingerprint than with the RPLC fingerprint. This study indicates that hydrophilic interaction chromatography could not only be a complementary method to increase the fingerprint coverage of conventional RPLC fingerprint, but also can better represent the efficacy and quality of Radix isatidis.     

C18衍生的微米金颗粒的制备及其作为毛细管液相色谱和加压电色谱固定相的评价

制备了用于色谱的微米纯金颗粒并键合上十八烷基(C18)官能团;对其进行了扫描电镜、红外光谱、元素分析、氮气吸附分析等表征。测得衍生的金颗粒的粒径、孔径以及比表面积分别为3.5 μm、5.0 nm、49.0 m2/g;红外光谱表明C18官能团已键合在金颗粒表面上;衍生后的金颗粒的含碳量为0.56%。通过电填充法得到长度为36 cm(固定相填充长度为19 cm)、内径为100 μm的毛细管色谱柱。利用极端pH的流动相(80%甲醇,pH 1.0以及pH 12.0)冲洗该色谱柱140 h,比较冲洗前后分析物的保留因子,以考察色谱柱的耐酸耐碱性能。结果表明,冲洗前后分析物的保留因子没有明显的变化,说明该色谱柱有良好的耐酸耐碱性。在毛细管液相色谱模式下,用该柱分离尿嘧啶、苯、萘、2-甲基萘、苊以评价色谱柱的一般性能;在碱性条件下分离咖啡因、茶碱、洛贝林以测定色谱柱分离碱性物质的能力。其分离结果表明,该色谱柱的柱效超过了50000理论塔板/m,且色谱峰形较好。在毛细管加压电色谱模式下,施加+5 kV和~5 kV的电压均可以使苯甲酸和苯胺分离,但电场方向不同时,二者的出峰顺序不同。     

Anion separations for liquid chromatography using propylpyridinium silica as the stationary phase

This work describes the characterization and potential applications of a silica-based anion-exchange phase prepared by a two-step modification process that incorporates a propylpyridinium group. The effects of pH and eluent concentration on anion separation were examined using 150 mm × 3.9 mm HPLC columns packed with the new phase. The mobile phase pH values ranged from 3.8 to 6.6 using phthalic acid/Tris solutions. The best separation was achieved using 2.5 mmol L⁻¹ phthalate/2.4 mmol L⁻¹ Tris solution at pH 4.2 as mobile phase with non-suppressed conductivity detection. The new stationary phase was used for the separation of some inorganic and organic anions showing good resolution. The stability of the silica-based anion exchange phase was also evaluated.Analytical curves, for concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 10 mg L⁻¹ for the inorganic anions chloride, nitrite, bromide and nitrate, showed good linear correlations (r > 0.998). The method was tested with certified rainwater samples. The measured and certified values were in good agreement, indicating that the new phase holds significant promise for the analysis of these anions in environmental samples.