Coupling miniaturized liquid chromatography to capillary gas chromatography (micro-LC-CGC): Possibilities of reversed phase LC

Retention gaps with different polarity treatments were evaluated for reversed phase solvents. Aminopropyl- and cyanopropyl-deactivated retention gaps showed the best results for methanol-water mixtures. A reversed phase packed fused silica capillary LC column is connected on-line with a capillary gas chromatography column. The combination was used for the analysis of diazepam in urine. Volume overloading on packed fused silica columns without loss of too much efficiency was demonstrated for propranolol.     

Enantiomer separation by capillary electrochromatography using fritless packed columns.

This review summarizes recent developments in the field of enantiomer separation by capillary electrochromatography using fritless packed columns. Various enantiomers have been separated by employing fritless packed columns prepared in a fused silica capillary either by the immobilization of chiral packing materials by sintering or sol-gel technology or by in situ polymerization of a mixture containing chiral selectors. The details of the column preparation procedures and the attainable column performance are described.     

Preparation of On-Column Frits in Packed Fused Silica Capillaries by Sol-Gel Technology

Existing methods for preparing frits in packed fused silica capillaries as used for electrochromatography and micro HPLC are not applicable to all silica based packing materials and involve a high thermal stress for both the stationary phase and the fused silica tubing including the polyimide coating. A new procedure for the production of such on-column frits under mild conditions by a sol-gel type reaction of polydimethoxysiloxane (PDMOS) is described in this paper. Reaction conditions were established for optimum mechanical stability and high permeability of the frits. Frits produced in this manner showed no noticeable effect on the overall efficiency.     

Silicate entrapped columns--new columns designed for capillary electrochromatography

Designed especially for capillary electrochromatography (CEC), silicate-entrapped columns are made by trapping particles of chromatographic packing material in a network of silica. Once entrapped, the capillary no longer requires frits. This renders a more homogeneous and stable packed bed. Accidental breakage of the fragile frits is not an issue with these robust columns. Columns packed with reverse-phase material subjected to silicate entrapment demonstrated faster separations of retained analytes and increased efficiencies compared with nonentrapped columns. The method was also used to prepare chiral CEC columns by entrapping a molecular imprinted polymeric (MIP) packing having minimal surface charge density, thus being unable alone to support sufficient electroosmotic flow for CEC.     

Crystalline degradation products of vancomycin as chiral stationary phase in microcolumn liquid chromatography

The ability of crystalline degradation products (CDPs) of vancomycin as a chiral stationary phase was reported in a previous study for enantioselective separation of drugs, amino acids and agrochemical toxins by conventional LC column (250 x 4.6 mm). In this work, the potential of CDP of vancomycin for the enantiomeric separation in micro-LC (200 x 1 mm) has been studied. The obtained separation results are better than in our previous study with conventional LC columns. The enantiomers of D,L-phenylalanine, D,L-alanine, methyldopa, atropine and propranolol were used for this evaluation. Experiments have been carried out in a stainless steel tube that was packed with chiral silica particles of 3 and 12 microm diameters. Also, three different ratios of 3 and 12 microm silica particles were used for packing material of chiral columns and the effect on aspect ratio and resolving powers was compared.     

High-temperature separation with polymer-coated fiber in packed capillary gas chromatography

High-temperature gas chromatographic separation of several synthetic polymer mixtures with Dexsil-coated fiber-packed columns was studied. A bundle of heat-resistant filaments, Zylon, was longitudinally packed into a short metal capillary, followed by the conventional coating process with Dexsil 300 material. Prior to the packing process the metal capillary was deactivated by the formation of a silica layer. The typical size of the resulting column was 0.3-mm i.d., 0.5-mm o.d., 1-m length, and packed with about 170 filaments of the Dexsil-coated Zylon. The column temperature could be elevated up to 450°C owing to the good thermal stability of the fiber, Dexsil coating, and metal capillary; furthermore, this allowed the separation of low-volatile compounds to be studied.     

Analysis of Seven Herbicides by Gas-Liquid Chromatography

Simutaneous analysis of seven commonly used herbicides, 2,4-D methyl ester, 2,4-D methyl ester, 2,4,5-T methyl ester, silvex methyl ester, ramrod, CIPC and DEF, by gas-liquid chromatography with an electron capture detector was attempted. Two packed columns (which are generally used for the analysis of chlorinated pesticides) and two chemically bonded fused silica capillary columns were used for the analysis. When the packed columns were used, ramrod always interfered with the analysis of 2,4-D methyl ester and/or silvex methyl ester. Complete separation with reasonable analysis time can be achieved using one of the chemically bonded fused silica capillary columns.     

Monolithic bed structure for capillary liquid chromatography

Monolithic stationary phases show promise for LC as a result of their good permeability, ease of preparation and broad selectivity. Inorganic silica monoliths have been extensively studied and applied for separation of small molecules. The presence of a large number of through pores and small skeletal structure allows the chromatographic efficiencies of silica monoliths to be comparable to columns packed with 5 μm silica particles, at much lower back pressure. In comparison, organic polymeric monoliths have been mostly used for separation of bio-molecules; however, recently, applications are expanding to small molecules as well. Organic monoliths with high surface areas and fused morphology rather than conventional globular morphology have shown good performance for small molecule separations. Factors such as domain size, through-pore size and mesopore size of the monolithic structures have been found to govern the efficiency of monolithic columns. The structure and performance of monolithic columns are reviewed in comparison to particle packed columns. Studying and characterizing the bed structures of organic monolithic columns can provide great insights into their performance, and aid in structure-directed synthesis of new and improved monoliths.     

Liquid chromatography in packed fused silica capillaries or Micro-LC: A repeat of the capillary gas chromatography story?

Miniaturized and capillary techniques will gradually become more important in Liquid Chromatography (LC). Micro-LC, or the chromatography in fused silica packed capillary columns, has so many important advantages and characteristics that this is probably the form of miniaturized LC that has the greatest chance to make it. These advantages, as discussed in the present paper should lead to LC in less than 30 minutes with a plate number for the column of 20,000 to 50,000. Unlike Capillary GC which took about 25 years to assert itself Micro-IC will probably not take so long.     

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 alumina with anchored polymer coating as packing material for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A new material with anchored polymer coating on alumina can be used as a packing material for the reversed-stationary phase of HPLC columns. The coatings are formed by in situ polymerization of maleic acid adsorbed on alumina with 1-octadecene, with cross-linking by 1,4-divinylbenzene. The chromatographic performance of this material was studied and compared with that of 20–30 μm octadecyl-bonded silica particles and a commercial column packed with 5 μm octadecyl-bonded silica. The results indicate that this new material is a promising alternative to silica-based reversed-phase packings due to its competitive performance and stability in acidic and basic media.     

New method for the preparation of small diameter columns with polymeric stationary phases for open tubular liquid chromatography

The purpose of this report is to introduce a new method for use in coating polymeric stationary phase films on the inside wall of small bore diameter fused silica capillary tubing. This technique is being developed for use in fabricating capillary columns for open tubular liquid chromatography.     

Polyethyleneimine-bonded phases in the separation of proteins by capillary electrophoresis

A hydrophilic, positively charged, durable coating has been developed for capillary electrophoresis of macromolecules. Polyethyleneimine is adsorbed to the inner wall of fused silica capillaries and the adsorbed coating cross-linked into a stable layer. Capillaries of polyethyleneimine-coated silica gave unique separations owing to the reversal of electro-osmotic flow caused by the positively charged coating. The resulting coating was stable from pH 2-12 and could be used over a wide pH range without substantial change in electro-osmotic flow. High-molecular-weight polymers were needed to give thick coatings which mask silanol groups on the wall. Proteins were resolved quickly and efficiently with good recovery using capillaries of 50 cm in length.     

Capillary action liquid chromatography

Capillary action LC (caLC) is introduced as a technique using capillary action as the driving force to perform LC in capillary columns packed with HPLC type microparticulate materials. A dry packing method with centrifugal force was developed to prepare capillary columns in parallel (10 columns per 3 min) to support their disposable use in caLC. Using a digital microscope for real‐time imaging and recording separations of components in a dye mixture, caLC was found to have flow characteristics similar to TLC. Based on the investigation of microparticulate HPLC silica gels of different size (1.5–10 μm) and a typical TLC grade irregular medium, Merck 60G silica, the van Deemter curves suggested molecular diffusion as the major contribution to band broadening in caLC. With Waters Xbridge 2.6 μm silica, plate heights down to 8.8 μm were obtained, comparable to those achievable in HPLC. Assisted by an image‐processing method, the visual caLC separation was converted to a classical chromatogram for further data analysis and such a facility confirmed the observation of highly efficient bands.     

Liquid crystal stationary phases for gas chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography

Novel monomeric and polymeric liquid crystalline compounds were synthesized as stationary phases for gas chromatography (GC) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Monomeric liquid crystalline compounds were used in packed column gas chromatography for the separation of isomeric aromatic compounds and insect sex pheromones. Liquid crystalline polymers possess long nematic ranges and a uniform coating was easily achieved in glass and fused silica capillaries, which could stand temperatures up to 250°C in GC and pressures of 200 MPa at 160°C in SFC. The columns provide excellent selectivity and resolution for fused ring aromatic compounds such as the isomers anthracene and phenanthrene or triphenylene and chrysene.     

Recent trends in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography

Capillary electrochromatography (CEC), which combines the advantages of the high efficiency of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and the high selectivity of liquid chromatography (LC), has recently received considerable attention. Most CEC experiments have been performed with capillary columns packed with small LC packing materials (1.5–5 μm particle diameter). However, problems such as difficulties in packing the small LC packing materials and fabricating the frits still exist in preparing the CEC column. The use of open-tubular columns in CEC is therefore an alternative approach that can eliminate the problems encountered in packed-column CEC. So far, several types of open-tubular columns have been proposed for CEC separations and in this article recent progress in this area is reviewed.     

Axial development and radial non-uniformity of flow in packed columns

Flow inhomogeneity and axial development in low-pressure chromatographic columns have been studied by magnetic resonance imaging velocimetry. The columns studied included (a) an 11.7-mm I.D. column packed with either 50 microm diameter porous polyacrylamide, or 99 or 780 microm diameter impermeable polystyrene beads, and (b) a 5-mm I.D. column commercially packed with 10 microm polymeric beads. The packing methods included gravity settling, slurry packing, ultrasonication, and dry packing with vibration. The magnetic resonance method used averaged apparent fluid velocity over both column cross-sections and fluid displacements greater than one particle diameter and hence permits assessment of macroscopic flow non-uniformities. The results confirm that now non-uniformities induced by the conical distributor of the 11.7-mm I.D. column or the presence of voids at the column entrance relax on a length scale of the column radius. All of the 11.7-mm I.D. columns examined exhibit near wall channeling within a few particle diameters of the wall. The origins of this behavior are demonstrated by imaging of the radial dependence of the local porosity for a column packed with 780 microm beads. Columns packed with the 99-microm beads exhibit reduced flow in a region extending from ten to three-to-five particle diameters from the wall. This velocity reduction is consistent with a reduced porosity of 0.35 in this region as compared to approximately 0.43 in the bulk of the column. Ultrasonicated and dry-packed columns exhibit enhanced flow in a region located between approximately eight and 20 particle diameters from the wall. This enhancement maybe caused by packing density inhomogeneity and/or particle size segregation caused by vibration during the packing process. No significant non-uniformities on length scales of 20 microm or greater were observed in the commercially packed column packed with 10 microm particles.     

Packing capilllary electrochromatography columns using vacuum--a preliminary study

This paper introducesa novel method for packing Capillary Electrochromatography Columns (CEC). Using vacuum packing methodology, silica particles as small as 1 microm were successfully packed into the capillary columns with 75 microm inner diameter. The columns are verystable and show no noticeable loss in efficiency after 200 sample injections. The performance of these vacuum packed capillary columns was evaluated with a mixture of aromatic and non-aromatic compounds. A 24 cm long capillary column can produce peak efficiencies of around 45,000 plates for benzene.     

Enantioselective separations of chiral molecules by μ-HPLC and SFC on microbore and packed microcapillary columns

New results obtained with microbore or microcapillary columns packed with DACH-DNB CSP (spherical silica, 5 μm) using conventional LC eluents or supercritical fluids are reported. Examples of direct chromatographic separations of complex mixtures of stereo-isomers on: a) long, packed microbore or microcapillary columns and b) several columns coupled in series are shown; in the latter case, a home-made calculation procedure (Simulation for Multi-Column Chromatography–SMCC) was used to quickly select the optimal conditions (kind of stationary phases and relative columns length).     

Fabrication of Bonded Monolithic Porous Layer Open Tubular (monoPLOT) Columns in Wide Bore Capillary by Laminar Flow Thermal Initiation

A novel scalable procedure for the thermally initiated polymerisation of bonded monolithic porous layers of controlled thickness within open tubular fused silica capillaries (monoPLOT columns) is presented. Porous polymer layers of either polystyrene-divinylbenzene or butyl methacrylate-ethylene dimethacrylate, of variable thickness and morphology were polymerised inside fused silica capillaries utilising combined thermal initiation and laminar flow of the polymerisation mixture. The procedure enables the production through thermal initiation of monoPLOT columns of varying length, internal diameter, user defined morphology and layer thickness for potential use in both liquid and gas chromatography. The morphology and thickness of the bonded polymer layer on the capillary wall is strongly dependent on the laminar flow properties of the polymerisation mixture and the changing shear stress within the fluid across the inner diameter of the open capillary. Owing to the highly controlled rate of polymerisation and its dependence on fluid shear stress at the capillary wall, the procedure was demonstrably scalable, as illustrated by the polymerisation of identical layers within different capillary diameters.