The use of silicon in the preparation of apolar glass capillary columns

As an extention of previous reports, variables affecting the performance of columns modified by silicon deposition have been optimized. The aim of this work was to produce thermostable apolar glass capillary columns regardless of the glass type used and to maintain column performance under stressful conditions. The main parameters studied were the influence of glass type, leaching effects, and silicon layer thickness on column activity. Deactivation and stationary phase conditions were held constant. Both coated and uncoated columns were tested. The thickness of the silicon layer was found to be relatively unimportant. There was no difference whether soft glass or borosiiicate glass was used and leaching before silicon deposition did not influence column activity. Bare silicon surfaces showed considerable activity especially in respect to interactions with free acids and bases. There are indications that the surface consists of silicon oxide and other oxygenated forms of silicon rather than of the element. Treatment of the silicon layers with dilute hydrofluoric acid and the strict exclusion of traces of oxygen and water did not improve the situation. In spite of such specific interactions, silicon surfaces were easily deactivated by heat treatment with polysiloxanes. Silicon surfaces deactivated by baking with octamethyltetrasiloxane at 400°C are inert and temperature stable and show characteristics similar to persilylated surfaces.     

Deactivation of small-diameter fused-silica capillary columns for gas and supercritical fluid chromatography

Summary In order to prevent plugging during deactivation of small diameter (50 m i.d.) capillary columns for gas and supercritical fluid chromatography, various high temperature deactivation methods were employed. Pure hexamethyldisilazane and hexamethyldisiloxane (a substitute for D₄) were dynamically coated on the column, while a film (0.05 m) of OV-101 was statically coated, before high temperature (450°C) treatment. Excellent deactivated columns were obtained, and no significant difference in column activity was observed using any of these three methods.Dedicated to Professor S. R. Lipsky on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Deactivation,coating and performance of nickel capillary columns for GLC

Electroformed nickel tubing was deactivated by chemical vapor deposition of silicon from silane gas and subsequent treatment with cyclooctamethyltetrasiloxane (D4). Standard activity tests performed on the uncoated tube and also on columns coated with crosslinked and uncrosslinked, nonpolar stationary phase, show that good quality flexible columns can be prepared from nickel tubing. The inner surface of the silicon coated tube was characterized by Auger depth profile analysis.     

Deactivation of fused silica capillary columns with cyanopropylhydrosiloxanes

A method is described for surface deactivation and modification of fused silica capillary columns with a cyanopropyl-containing reagent. The deactivation procedure involved a dehydrocondensation reaction between a bis(cyanopropyl)methylhydropolysiloxane reagent and surface silanol groups at an optimum temperature of only 250°C. Actual critical surface tension measurements were made using the capillary rise method. Excellent deactivation for acidic and basic compounds at the low ng level, and wettability for nonpolar and polar polysiloxane stationary phases were obtained. A procedure was developed to remove acidic impurities that are present in polar stationary phases.     

Preparation of glass capillary columns

Summary Glass capillary column chromatography is the most rapidly growing part of gas chromatography. There are many complex new analytical tasks and they require special capillary columns. Fortunately there is a wide range of column preparation methods available, and they make the preparation of glass capillary columns a more varied job than that of packed columns. In this paper these methods are reviewed and suggestions are given for making task-oriented columns.     

GC with LC-like packed capillary columns

Capillary columns of 0.3–0.35 mm internal diameter and 0.3–7.7 m length, packed with 3 to 30 μm octadecylsilica stationary phases as used for liquid chromatography, were applied to gas chromatographic separation of low boiling hydrocarbons. Van Deemter plots for these columns showed the optimum column efficiency to occur at linear velocities of 4–5 cm/s. A short column was applied to the rapid separation of components of a natural gas and impurities in standard gases, while a long column was applied to the separation of complex mixtures.     

Deactivation of fused silica capillary columns with phenylhydrosiloxanes

In this work, an investigation of new organosilicon hydride reagents with phenyl functional groups for deactivation and surface modification of fused silica capillary columns is described. Different reagents were tested for their ability to deactivate the fused silica surface, and actual critical surface tension measurements were made using the capillary rise method. The deactivation procedure required lower optimum temperatures than conventional methods. Deactivated capillaries and coated capillary columns were prepared and tested for reproducibility, efficiency, and surface inertness towards basic and acidic compounds at the low nanogram level.     

Computer controlled micropreparative isolation and enrichment from GC capillary columns and subsequent sample handling

This paper describes a computerized system for micropreparative enrichment of components from a mixture being separated on a capillary column. All electronic components are commercially available. Programming was performed in BASIC so that users can easily adapt the program to their own special needs. The enrichment procedure is based on a repetitive absorption of eluting compounds after separation from a capillary column, by sucking them through an absorption tube mounted at the outlet splitter. In order to perform this procedure reliably, the system searches for reference peaks which can stem from componetns of the mixture or from deliberately added reference compounds. Use of error diagnostics prevents contamination of the collected fractions in case of system failures. Optimization is easily performed during a supervised GC run in a semiautomatic mode. Using the function keys of the computer, the operator can adjust injection volume, measure the base line drift at any retention time, and perform reference peak allocation and peak switching until optimal conditions have been found. The system presented has been in operation for several years in our laboratory where, in some cases, the mixture had to be injected onto the capillary column over 500 times to obtain the amount of pure component (10–1000 μg) necessary for NMR structure elucidation. However, recording of meaningful spectra of such small amounts requires special precautions in sample handling. This technique can also be applied for sample recovery after analysis by non-destructive elucidation methods or by chemical microreactions without loss.     

Modification of a packed GC injector to a versatile capillary injector

A modification of a packed GC injector to a capillary injector is presented using a simple device which is connected to the GC column by an adsorption-free connector. It permits injections of large sample volumes up to 500 μl hexane solutions on normal 0.3 mm i.d. capillary columns. No special requirements for the stationary phase are necessary. Involatile residues remain inside the device which can be exchanged easily. High performance of separation and quantification is achieved.     

A cold silanization method for preparation of medium polarity capillary columns

Silane-coupling agents, commonly used for fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP), were applied for deactivation of silanol sites in glass capillary columns prior to coating with mediumpolarity phases such as Carbowax and Superox. The columns, prepared in a two-stage process in the case of glass (acidic leaching and drying, dynamic cold silanization followed by static coating with the phase) or a one stage process in the case of fused silica, gave the best results when deactivation and hence wettability were induced by glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane.