Centrifugal Partition Chromatography. I. General Features

Abstract

Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) is a variant of countercurrent chromatography (CCC). As in CCC, two immiscible liquids are used. The first liquid is the stationary phase, the second is the mobile phase. The liquid stationary phase is held in channels engraved in several polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) plates. One hundred channels are engraved on each PCTFE plate. Four PCTFE plates are assembled together in a cartridge. Up to 12 cartridges (4800 channels) can be loaded in the rotor of a centrifuge. The centrifugal field, generated by the spinning rotor, holds the stationary phase sufficiently that a mobile phase can be pumped through it. This system is analyzed in detail. The stationary phase evolution versus time is studied. A complete derivation is made of the relationship linking system pressure to the spin and flow rate as well as to the physico-chemical properties of the two liquids, i.e., density and viscosity.     

Test to evaluate countercurrent chromatographs. Liquid stationary phase retention and chromatographic resolution

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a liquid chromatography (LC) technique with a special column able to retain a liquid stationary phase while the liquid mobile phase is pumped through. The coil planet centrifuge machines are made of open tube wound on spools. A simple test is proposed. The methanol-water (90:10, v/v)-heptane biphasic system is used with heptane as the mobile phase in the ascending or tail-to-head mode. The methanol-water stationary phase retention volume is measured at different flow-rates and rotor rotation speeds. After every machine equilibration, an alkylbenzene mixture is injected and the retention factors, peak efficiencies and resolution factors are measured or calculated for each solute. The wealth of information contained in the data set obtained is demonstrated. Four coil planet centrifuge machines of very different characteristics and one hydrostatic CCC machine with channels and ducts were submitted to the test. It was shown that the Sf, stationary retention factor, obtained with these machines was linearly dependent on the square root of F, the mobile phase flow-rate [Q. Du, C. Wu, G. Qian, P. Wu, Y. Ito, J. Chromatogr. A 835 (1999) 231-235]. It is shown that the slopes of the Sf versus F(1/2) lines could be related to a minimum rotor rotation, omega(mini), necessary to obtain the hydrodynamic equilibrium. The Sf and F parameters give the mobile phase linear velocity, u. It is shown that u is proportional to the square root of omega, the rotor rotation speed. The slope and intercept of the latter relationship also result in an omega(mini) value coherent with the first one. With the peak efficiencies and chromatographic resolution factors obtained for toluene and hexylbenzene, the parameters: number of plates per tubing turn, machine volume for one plate, and tubing length for one plate, were calculated and compared for the five machines. The internal diameter of the tubing used is shown to be a critical parameter acting on the machine volume and number of tubing turns.     

Using the liquid nature of the stationary phase in counter-current chromatography V. The back-extrusion method

The main feature of counter-current chromatography (CCC) is that the stationary phase is a liquid as well as the mobile phase. The retention volumes of solutes are directly proportional to their distribution coefficients K(D) in the biphasic liquid system used in the CCC column. Solutes with high K(D) coefficients are highly retained in the column. The back-extrusion method (BECCC) uses the fact that the liquid stationary phase, that contains the retained solutes, can be easily moved. Switching the column inlet and outlet ports without changing the liquid phase used as the mobile phase causes the rapid collapse of the two immiscible liquid phases inside the column, the previously stationary phase being gathered at the new column outlet. Then this previously stationary liquid phase is extruded outside the CCC column carrying the retained solutes. The back-extrusion method is tested with a standard mixture of five compounds and compared with the recently described elution-extrusion method. It is shown that the chromatographic resolution obtained during the back-extrusion step is good because the solute band broadening is minimized as long as the solute is located inside the "stationary" phase. However, a major drawback of the BECCC method is that all solutes are split between the liquid phases according to their distribution ratios when the CCC column equilibrium is broken. The change of flowing direction should be done after a sufficient amount of mobile phase has flushed the column in the classical mode, eluting solutes with small and medium distribution ratios. Otherwise, a significant portion of the solutes will stay in the mobile phase inside the column and produce a broad peak showing after the stationary phase extrusion.     

Separation of Substances in Rotating Coiled Columns: From Trace Elements to Microparticles

The potentialities of rotating coiled columns in countercurrent chromatography (CCC) and centrifugal field-flow fractionation (CFFF) are demonstrated. A rotating coiled column is a fluoroplastic or steel coil wound around a rigid cylindrical drum, which revolves about its axis and, at the same time, revolves around the central axis of the device called planet centrifuge. The stationary (liquid, solid, or heterogeneous) phase is retained in the column because of the centrifugal force field, and the mobile liquid phase is continuously pumped through the column. The methods for recovery, separation, and preconcentration of various trace elements in geological samples and high-purity substances with the use of two-phase liquid systems (CCC) are developed. Procedures are proposed for the continuous sequential extraction of various element species from soil and for the recovery of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from sewage sludge with the use of natural suspensions or solid particulates as stationary phases. It is also shown that rotating coiled columns can be used in a new field, microparticle fractionation by CFFF.     

Water-organic solvent systems in countercurrent chromatography: Liquid stationary phase retention and solvent polarity

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a separation technique in which the stationary phase is a liquid. The liquid stationary phase retention is a critical problem in CCC. The retention of 18 organic solvents in a hydrodynamic CCC apparatus was measured with an aqueous mobile phase, the centrifuge spin rate and the mobile phase flow rate being constant, 800 rpm and 2 ml/min, respectively. Conversely, water retention was measured when the 18 solvents were the mobile phases. A direct relationship between the liquid stationary phase retention and the phase density difference was found. The liquid phase density difference is the most important parameter for stationary phase retention in a hydrodynamic CCC apparatus with coiled tubes. The chromatographic retention of formanilide was measured in biphasic systems and expressed as the formanilide partition coefficient. It is shown that the partition coefficient correlates with the Reichardt polarity index of the organic solvent when the liquid stationary phase retention volume does not.     

Counter-current chromatography for oil analysis: Retention features and kinetic effects

Application of counter-current chromatography (CCC) for oil analysis has been suggested for the first time. CCC looks very promising as a tool for pre-concentration and isolation of trace elements from oil. Features of stationary phase retention of two-phase liquid systems (oil or oil products–aqueous nitric acid solutions) in CCC have been investigated. The influence of physicochemical properties of crude oil and oil products used as a mobile phase on the volume of stationary phase (acidic aqueous solutions) retained in CCC was studied. Chromatographic behavior of several oil samples was studied. It has been shown that physicochemical properties of test oil influence its chromatographic behavior. Optimal values of density and viscosity (ρ < 0.85 g/cm³, n < 7 cSt) of crude oil and oil products that could be analyzed using CCC were estimated. The influence of the column rotational speed and flow rate of mobile phase on the stationary phase retention was also investigated. It is known that kinetic aspects (mass transfer of elements between phases) can play a very important role in selecting an optimal composition of stationary phase for the pre-concentration of elements from oil. The influence of nitric acid concentration in the stationary phase on mass transfer was studied. Kinetic characteristic for trace element recovery has been investigated for the optimization of pre-concentration conditions of trace elements from crude oil and oil products. The extraction recoveries of Zn, Mn, Fe, Ni, V, Cu, Cd, Pb and Ba by CCC in dynamic mode are in the range of 75–95% while they are lower than 35% under batch conditions.     

Using the liquid nature of the stationary phase in countercurrent chromatography. IV. The cocurrent CCC method

The retention volumes of solutes in countercurrent chromatography (CCC) are directly proportional to their distribution coefficients, K(D) in the biphasic liquid system used as mobile and stationary phase in the CCC column. The cocurrent CCC method consists in putting the liquid "stationary" phase in slow motion in the same direction as the mobile phase. A mixture of five steroid compounds of widely differing polarities was used as a test mixture to evaluate the capabilities of the method with the biphasic liquid system made of water/methanol/ethyl acetate/heptane 6/5/6/5 (v/v) and a 53 mL CCC column of the coil planet centrifuge type. It is shown that the chromatographic resolution obtained in cocurrent CCC is very good because the solute band broadening is minimized as long as the solute is located inside the "stationary" phase. Pushing the method at its limits, it is demonstrated that the five steroids can still be (partly) separated when the flow rate of the two liquid phases is the same (2 mL/min). This is due to the higher volume of upper phase (72% of the column volume) contained inside the CCC column producing a lower linear speed compared to the aqueous lower phase linear speed. The capabilities of the cocurrent CCC method compare well with those of the gradient elution method in HPLC. Continuous detection is a problem due to the fact that two immiscible liquid phases elute from the column. It was partly solved using an evaporative light scattering detector.     

Rapid and preparative separation of traditional Chinese medicine Evodia rutaecarpa employing elution-extrusion and back-extrusion counter-current chromatography: Comparative study

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have attracted much attention in recent years. Elution-extrusion and/or back-extrusion counter-current chromatography (EECCC/BECCC) both take full advantage of the liquid nature of the stationary phase. They effectively extend the solute hydrophobicity window that can be studied and rendered the CCC technique particularly suitable for rapid analysis of complex samples. In this paper, a popular traditional Chinese medicine, Evodia rutaecarpa, was used as the target complex mixture for extrusion CCC separations. With a carefully selected biphasic liquid system (n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water, 3/2/3/2, v/v) and optimized conditions (V_CM = V_C, mobile phase flow rate: 3 mL/min in descending mode, sample loading: 100 mg), five fractions could be obtained in only 100 min on a 140-mL capacity CCC instrument using both elution- and back-extrusion methods. Each fraction was analyzed and identified compared with the data of major standards using LC/MS. Moreover, the performance of both extrusion protocols was systematically compared and summarized. EECCC could be operated continuously and was found extremely suitable for high-throughput separation; however, post-column addition of a clarifying reagent is recommended to smooth the UV-signal during the extrusion process. Considering BECCC, the practical operation is very simple by just switching a 4-port valve to change the flow direction. The change of flowing direction should be done after a sufficient amount of mobile phase has flushed the column in the classical mode so that solutes with small and medium distribution constants have been eluted. Otherwise, a significant portion of the solutes will stay in the mobile phase inside the column, mix together and produce a broad peak showing in the mobile phase eluting after the stationary phase extrusion. Compared with classical CCC or other preparative separation tools, extrusion CCC approaches exhibit distinguished superiority in the modernization process of traditional Chinese medicines.     

Tubing modifications for countercurrent chromatography: Investigation of geometrical parameters

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a separation technique which may be described as a combination of a great number of liquid–liquid distributions of analytes in a two-phase solvent system with liquid chromatography (LC) features. Even optimized CCC separations currently provide a lower number of theoretical plates when compared to LC. For this reason, instrumental advancements are indispensable to, at least partly, overcome this drawback. Recently, we found that improvement of the classic CCC coil, that is using a long hollow tubing, may be achieved by the introduction of tubing crimpings which increase the stationary phase retention. In this study, we systematically investigated the effects of three geometrical parameters (crimping depth, distance between two crimpings as well as partial or complete crimping of the tubing) on the stationary phase retention by a factorial design of experiments approach. Separation efficiency tests were performed with two groups of analytes: fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) in the n-hexane/acetonitrile (HAcn) and alkyl p-hydroxybenzoates in the n-hexane/tert-butylmethylether/methanol/water solvent system. The most narrow crimping distance and the deepest crimping of the tubing were the best configurations in the examined flow rate range.     

Hydrophobicity of ionisable compounds studied by countercurrent chromatography

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a liquid chromatography technique in which the stationary phase is also a liquid. The main chemical process involved in solute separation is partitioning between the two immiscible liquid phases: the mobile phase and the support-free liquid stationary phase. The octanol-water partition coefficients (P(o/w)) is the accepted parameter measuring the hydrophobicity of molecules. It is considered to estimate active principle partitioning over a biomembrane. It was related to the substance biological activity. CCC is able to work with an octanol stationary phase and an aqueous mobile phase. In this configuration, CCC is a useful and easy alternative to measure directly the P(o/w) of the molecules compared to other methods including the classical and tedious shake-flask method. Three ketones are used as model compounds to illustrate the CCC protocol of P(o/w) measurement. The focus of this work is put on ionisable molecules whose apparent P(o/w) is completely changed by ionization. β-Blockers, diuretics and sulfonamides are compound classes that were studied. Some of the experimentally determined P(o/w) coefficients of the molecular forms disagreed with calculated and experimental values available in the literature. The P(o/w) coefficients of the ionic forms and the acidity constants were also calculated using a theoretical model. Relationships between biological properties and hydrophobicity are also discussed.     

Determination of liquid-liquid partition coefficients by separation methods

By essence, all kinds of chromatographic methods use the partitioning of solutes between a stationary and a mobile phase to separate them. Not surprisingly, separation methods are useful to determine accurately the liquid-liquid distribution constants, commonly called partition coefficient. After briefly recalling the thermodynamics of the partitioning of solutes between two liquid phases, the review lists the different methods of measurement in which chromatography is involved. The shake-flask method is described. The ease of the HPLC method is pointed out with its drawback: the correlation is very sensitive to congeneric effect. Microemulsion electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis has become a fast and reliable method commonly used in industry. Counter-current chromatography (CCC) is a liquid chromatography method that uses a liquid stationary phase. Since the CCC solute retention volumes are only depending on their partition coefficients, it is the method of choice for partition coefficient determination with any liquid system. It is shown that Ko/w, the octanol-water partition coefficients, are obtained by CCC within the -1 < log Ko/w < 4 range, without any correlation or standardization using octanol as the stationary phase. Examples of applications of the knowledge of liquid-liquid partition coefficient in the vast world of solvent extraction and hydrophobicity estimation are presented.     

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopic determination of rare earth elements in geological samples after preconcentration by countercurrent chromatography—Part II

This paper directly links up with Part I [Spectrochim. Acta 48B, 1365 (1993)] which treats the first application of countercurrent chromatography (CCC) for pre-separation of rare earth elements (REE) in rocks. The rapid and reliable separation and pre-concentration of “light” REE and Y can be achieved using a system of 0.5 mol/l di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) in n-decane-hydrochloric acid of different concentrations and a planetary centrifuge as a CCC device. However, Tm, Yb and Lu are partially retained in the stationary phase. Comparative data is presented on three other two-phase liquid systems containing trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO); D2EHPA and TOPO mixtures and diphenyl(dibutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine)oxide (Ph₂-Bu₂) as extractants in terms of their ability for whole REE group complete isolation from the rock constituents. The partial losses of “light” REE (La and Ce) occurred in the system of 0.1 mol/l solution of TOPO in isobutylmethylketone (IBMK) (stationary phase)-1 mol/l NH₄NO₃-6 mol/l HCl aqueous solutions (mobile phase). Complete isolution of the entire REE group can be reached in two systems: 0.3 mol/l D2EHPA + 0.02 ml/l TOPO in the solvents mixture (3:1) of n-decane + IBMK, respectively (stationary phase)-1 mol/l NH₄NO₃-6 mol/l HCl aqueous solution (mobile phase), and 1.0 mol/l Ph₂-Bu₂ solution in chloroform (stationary phase)-3 mol/l HNO₃ aqueous solution (mobile phase). The D2EHPA + TOPO mixture is recommended as more economic and accessible.     

Distribution ratio, distribution constant and partition coefficient. Countercurrent chromatography retention of benzoic acid

There is some confusion in chromatography between terms such as solute distribution ratio, distribution constant and partition coefficient. These terms are very precisely defined in the field of liquid-liquid systems and liquid-liquid extraction as well as in the field of chromatography with sometimes conflicting definitions. Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a chromatographic technique in which the stationary phase is a support-free liquid. Since the mobile phase is also liquid, biphasic liquid systems are used. This work focuses on the exact meaning of the terms since there are consequences on experimental results. The retention volumes of solutes in CCC are linearly related to their distribution ratios. The partition coefficient that should be termed (IUPAC recommendation) distribution constant is linked to a single definite species. Using benzoic acid that can dimerize in heptane and ionize in aqueous phase and an 18 mL hydrodynamic CCC column, the role and relationships between parameters and the consequences on experimental peak position and shape are discussed. If the heptane/water distribution constant (marginally accepted to be called partition coefficient) of benzoic acid is 0.2 at 20 °C and can be tabulated in books, its CCC measured distribution ratio or distribution coefficient can change between zero (basic aqueous mobile phase) and more than 25 (acidic aqueous mobile phase and elevated concentration). Benzoic acid distribution ratio and partition coefficient coincide only when both dimerization and ionization are quenched, i.e. at very low concentration and pH 2. It is possible to quench dimerization adding butanol in the heptane/water system. However, butanol additions also affect the partition coefficient of benzoic acid greatly by increasing it.     

Resolution studies on counter-current chromatography using supercritical fluid carbon dioxide

Counter-current chromatography (CCC) is a form of liquid–liquid partition chromatography. It requires two immiscible solvent phases; the stationary phase is retained in the separation column, generally by centrifugal force, while the mobile phase is eluted. We recently replaced the mobile phase with supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (SF CO₂). Since the solvent strength of SF CO₂ can be varied by changing the temperature and pressure of the system, separation adjustments are thus more versatile. We investigated the pressure and temperature effects on resolution using water and low-carbon alcohol mixtures as the stationary phases. It was demonstrated that these special properties of SF CO₂ were indeed beneficial to the optimization of separations. In addition, the phase retention ratio was examined in terms of separation resolution. The results appeared very similar to those obtained from conventional traditional CCC. This study should be helpful for the future development of SF applications in CCC.     

Alkane effect in the Arizona liquid systems used in countercurrent chromatography

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a separation technique that uses a biphasic liquid system; one liquid phase is the mobile phase, the other liquid phase is the stationary phase. Selection of the appropriate liquid system can be a problem in CCC, since it is necessary to select both the “column” and the mobile phase at the same time as the first is completely dependent on the second. A range of systems with various proportions of solvents were developed to ease this choice; 23 variations of the heptane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water biphasic liquid system were labeled A to Z. This range proved to be extremely useful and became the popular Arizona (AZ) liquid system. However, authors often replace the heptane with hexane. In this work, the chemical compositions of the upper phases and the lower phases of 55 Arizona systems made with various alkanes (pentane, hexane, heptane, isooctane and cyclohexane) were determined by gas chromatography and Karl Fischer titration. The test mixture separated consisted of five steroid compounds. The lower phases were found to have similar compositions when different alkanes were used, but the upper phases were found to change. Exchanging heptane for hexane or isooctane produced minimal changes in the CCC chromatogram, while changing the proportions of the solvents resulted in an exponential change in the retention volumes. The high density of cyclohexane made liquid stationary phase retention difficult. All Arizona systems equilibrated within 30 min, but were not stable: water slowly hydrolyzed the ethyl acetate (as shown by a continuous decrease in the pH of the lower aqueous phase), especially in the water-rich systems (early alphabet letters).     

Advantages of a small-volume counter-current chromatography column

Counter-current chromatography (CCC) works with a support-free liquid stationary phase. This allows for preparative separations and purifications. However, there are serious technical constraints because of the need to keep a liquid stationary phase in a column. Centrifugal fields are used. A new commercial hydrodynamic 18 mL column made with a narrow-bore 0.8 mm Teflon tubing was evaluated by comparing it with older hydrodynamic CCC columns and a similar 19 mL column but made with 1.6 mm Teflon tubing. A small-volume CCC column allows for reliable and fast solute partition coefficient determination. When resolution is required, both high efficiency and liquid stationary phase retention are needed. Unfortunately, these two requirements bear technical contradictions. A column coiled with a narrow tubing bore will provide a high chromatographic efficiency while a column containing wider tubing bore will achieve higher stationary phase retention. In all cases, increasing the magnitude of the centrifugal field also increases the stationary phase retention. The solution is to build centrifuges able to produce high fields that will provide acceptable liquid phase retention with narrow-bore tubes. The new 18 mL 0.8 mm tubing bore column is able to rotate as fast as 2100 rpm generating a 240 × g field. The two older CCC columns cannot compete with the new one. However, the small 19 mL column with 1.6 mm bore tubing can be useful when fast results are desired without top resolution.     

Band broadening inside the chromatographic column: the interest of a liquid stationary phase

Band broadening inside chromatographic columns was studied by Giddings 40 years ago. This theory is revisited pointing out that the band width depends only on the band position, x, inside the column and the height equivalent to a theoretical plate, H, and not on the solute affinity for the stationary phase. The band standard deviation, sigma, inside the column is simply sigma = square root [xH]. This property can be used in countercurrent chromatography (CCC), a chromatographic technique that works with a liquid stationary phase. Two possibilities are presented: 1-extrusion of the liquid stationary phase called elution-extrusion method, and 2-slow motion of the stationary phase in the same direction as the mobile phase, called cocurrent CCC method. A mixture of five steroids, prednisone, prednisolone acetate, testosterone, estrone and cholesterol, with partition coefficient varying from 0.1 to 40, is used with a 53 mL CCC column to show the method capabilities. The elution-extrusion method is discontinuous; however, it allows saving dramatic amounts of solvent and time. Cholesterol could be fully resolved in 2h and 120 mL instead of 7 h and 1.2 L using the classical elution way. The cocurrent CCC method is continuous and was able to resolve cholesterol at baseline in 40 min using 110 mL. Detection is difficult due to the fact that two immiscible liquid phases enter the detector.     

Centrifugal Partition Chromatography. II. Selectivity Efficiency

Abstract

Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) is a technique that uses two immiscible liquids. One liquid is used as a stationary phase, the second one as the mobile phase. Using the liquid systems methanol-hexane and octanol-water, the selectivity and efficiency of CPC apparatus were tested. It is shown that CPC can be used to determine partition coefficients or to purify compounds. The selectivity can be changed the same way as in liquid chromatography. The efficiency study has shown that the plate count presents a minimum value at a particular flow rate. By plotting the number of channels required to obtain one theoretical plate versus the flow rate, it is possible to obtain a “van Deemter-type” plot. Interestingly, these plots show maxima for CPC. These results are opposite to those found for liquid or gas chromatography which have minima. A flow change, from laminar to nonlaminar is thought to explain these results. Reynolds numbers were determined for all solvent systems. Efficiency in CPC was also found to be solute dependent: the larger the partition coefficient, the lower the efficiency.     

Use of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate in countercurrent chromatography

Room temperature ionic liquids (RTIL) are molten salts that are liquids at room temperature. Their liquid state makes them possible candidates as solvents in countercurrent chromatography (CCC), which uses solvents as both the mobile and stationary phases. The study focuses on 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIM PF₆), an easy to synthesize and purify RTIL whose melting point is –8°C. It is shown that BMIM PF₆ behaves like a solvent of significant polarity (comparable with that of ethanol). The ternary phase diagram water–acetonitrile–BMIM PF₆ is given, because it was necessary to add acetonitrile to reduce the ionic liquid viscosity. The 40:20:40% w/w water–acetonitrile–BMIM PF₆ biphasic liquid system was found to be appropriate as a biphasic liquid system for CCC. Different aromatic solutes, including bases, acids, and neutral compounds, were injected into the CCC column to estimate their distribution constants between the ionic liquid-rich phase and the aqueous phase. The resulting K_il/w constants were compared with the corresponding literature octanol–water partition coefficients, K_o/w. The important drawbacks in the use of RTIL in CCC are clearly pointed out: high viscosity producing pressure build-up, UV absorbance limiting the use of the convenient UV detector, and non-volatility precluding the use of the evaporative light-scattering detector for continuous detection.     

Tubing modifications for countercurrent chromatography (CCC): Stationary phase retention and separation efficiency

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a separation technique in which two immiscible liquid phases are used for the preparative purification of synthetic and natural products. In CCC the number of repetitive mixing and de-mixing processes, the retention of the stationary phase and the mass transfer between the liquid phases are significant parameters that influence the resolution and separation efficiency. Limited mass transfer is the main reason for peak broadening and a low number of theoretical plates along with impaired peak resolution in CCC. Hence, technical improvements with regard to column design and tubing modifications is an important aspect to enhance mixing and mass transfer.