Determination of void/dead volume of liquid chromatographic columns containing β-cyclodextrin as the stationary phase. Part I. Existing methods for the determination of LC column dead volume—A survey of literature

Summary A brief critique on the existing methods for the determination of LC column dead volume is presented. The dispute and controversy among scientists regarding the definition of column void volume, as well as the methods for its determination are pointed out. Difficulties arising in connection with the determination of the dead volume of cyclodextrin columns are discussed; it seems that the applicability of conventional methods is questionable. The necessity for further research in this field is stressed.     

Determination of void/dead volume of liquid chromatographic columns containing β-cyclodextrin as the stationary phase. Part II. A new graphical method

Summary A new graphical method is proposed for the determination of the dead/void volume of liquid chromatographic columns with -cyclodextrin stationary phase. Two different approaches are presented which lead to very similar dead volume values for the cyclodextrin columns. The validity of the proposed method is discussed on the basis of column porosity values, as well as the resulting linear relationship between the logarithm of the capacity factor and the number of carbon atoms in the n-alkanol homologs. The method was applied to study the influence of various experimental parameters on the dead volume of cyclodextrin columns.     

Comparison of void volume, mobile phase volume and accessible volume determined from retention data for oligomers in reversed-phase liquid chromatographic systems

The experimental technique of mass spectrometric tracer pulse chromatography was used to determine the void volume, i.e., the total volume of eluent in the column, and the volume of eluent moving freely through the column, i.e., mobile phase volume, for a series of eluents with a C(18)-bonded RPLC column. The interstitial volume of the column was determined by size exclusion chromatography. In order to evaluate the utility of the accessible volumes determined from the retention volumes of homologous solutes, the accessible volume of the column was determined as a function of eluent composition and temperature with polystyrene and polyethylene glycol samples using Martin's Rule. Comparison of these four measured volumes indicated that the experimentally measured accessible volumes did not correspond to either the void volumes, mobile phase volumes or interstitial volumes.     

A new method for the determination of mobile phase volume in normal and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Summary A new method for the determination of the mobile phase volume (V _m) in liquid chromatography is presented based on the model regarding the retention of ionic solutes in the presence of eluent electrolytes. TheV _m value can be determined by measuring the retention volumes of two ions that have the same charge in two eluent electrolyte systems. Compared with the methods using isotopically labelled eluent components or inorganic salts asV _m markers, the method presented is proved to give more reasonableV _m values for both normal and reversed-phase liquid chromatography. As well as in binary mixed solvent systems, theV _m values in single solvent systems can be determined by this method.     

The use of mobile phase pH and column temperature to reverse the retention order of enantiomers on chiral-AGP®

Summary Enantiomeric separation of mosapride and a structurally related compound was performed using chiral chromatography and experimental design. Unique effects of mobile phase pH and column temperature made it possible to control the elution order of the enantiomers when using Chiral-AGP as the solid phase. At a low mobile phase pH (<6) the (R)-enantiomer of mosapride elutes before the (S)-form whereas the (S)-enantiomer elutes first at a high mobile phase pH (>6). By using a mobile phase pH around 6, the column temperature could also be used to control the elution order of the enantiomers of mosapride. Similar effects of mobile phase pH and column temperature were obtained for the enantiomers of a structurally related compound, a metabolite (M1). Isocratic chromatographic systems made it possible to determine enantiomeric impurities less than 0.1% in the respective enantiomer of mosapride. The enantiomers of mosapride as well as the enantiomers of M1 could easily be separated simultaneously using Chiral-AGP and a simple gradient elution. Part of this work has been presented as lectures at HPLC'96 in San Francisco USA, at AAPS-96 in Seattle USA and as a poster at HPLC'95 in Innsbruck Austria.     

Optimization by isochronal analysis I. Changes in mobile phase composition and velocity

Summary The theory of isochronal analysis (time normalization) has been extended to reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Of the possible manipulation of experimental parameters, the present paper develops a framework for optimizing the resolution by the simultaneous change of mobile phase velocity and composition. For that purpose the resolution equation was written in terms of these two parameters and under the constraint of constant analysis time. This treatment allows plotting the resolution versus the mobile phase composition and velocity. The surfaces thus obtained show the changes that the analyst must perform in order to optimize the resolution. The treatment deals with three possible α dependencies on the amount of organic modifier: constant, increasing and decreasing. Presented at the 15th International Symposium on Chromatography, Nürnberg, October 1984     

Influence of temperature and mobile phase composition on retention properties of oligomeric bonded phases in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC)

Summary The effect of temperature and mobile phase composition (methanol-water) on the retention behaviour of an oligomeric series of n-octylsilyl bonded phases in reversed-phase liquid chromatography has been investigated. Plots of lnk against 1/T (van't Hoff plot) and the enthalpy of transfer (ΔH^o) yields linear relationships under the conditions studied. The ΔH^o values of the aromatic hydrocarbons and n-alkyl benzoates are higher than those of the polar compounds due to their higher level of interaction with the stationary phase. A linear plot of ΔH^o vs. ΔS^o suggest that the retention process, which is essentially controlled by non-specific (dispersive) interactions between the solutes and the bonded ligands, is identical for all cases evaluated. The existence of similar retention mechanisms is confirmed by the constant value of the enthalpy-entropy compensation temperature of the columns for a given class of componds. As expected, decreasing the methanol content (% v/v) of the mobile phase results in increased eluite retention times. The methylene and phenyl selectivities are found to be independent of the carbon content of the stationary phases and varied only with the eluent composition. In addition to their high stability under aggressive mobile phase conditions as previously reported, the results of this study generally showed that the solute retention process on oligomeric phases are similar to those exhibited by the conventional reversed phases.     

Influence of mobile phase composition on the adsorption of hen egg-white proteins to anion-exchange cellulose

Summary Factors influencing the capacity of Whatman QA52 anion-exchange cellulose for hen egg-white proteins have been investigated. While simply increasing the concentration of protein in the feedstock increases the loading there is a concomitant reduction in binding efficiency in a single pass through the column. Substitution of buffer by water in the mobile phase during sample preparation, thereby reducing the ionic strength of the feedstock, had the effect of significantly increasing protein capacity whilst improving binding efficiency. During column loading large changes in pH of the mobile phase were observed although this had no apparent effect on the chromatography for this system.     

Void volume determination and experimental probes in reversed phase chromatography

Summary In reversed-phase liquid chromatography with n-alkyl bonded silica, the dead volume (V₀) of the column is theoretically indeterminate owing to adsorption of organic modifier on n-alkyl chains and of water on silanol groups. With binary mobile phases, retention volumes of the mobile phase components and of their deuterated species are relaeed to the adsorption isotherms and V₀ by equations which can be solved with some assumptions on the adsorbed layer composition. Methanol-water and acetonitrile-water systems are studied. As the experimental excess isotherm shows a linear part in the concentration range 50–80% in organic modifier, the hypothesis of an adsorbed layer of constant composition in this range is possible. When increasing the water content of the mobile phase, adsorption of water occurs up to saturation of silanol groups. Then the assumption of a constant water content for a mobile phase having more than 50% of water is applied. With the hypothesis of a constant adsorbed content of organic modifier when the eluent has more than 80% of organic modifier, V₀ and the absolute isotherms are calculated over the entire range of mobile phase composition. Experimental retention behavior of the mobile phase components are totally explained by these V₀ determinations. The retention times of commonly used V₀ markers are compared with V₀ values. It is shown that, when buffering the eluent, no visible effect on the distribution equilibrium is observed, so that injection of concentrated potassium nitrate is a convenient method to measure V₀. With a few solutes with are UV detectable it is possible to measure V₀ whatever the mobile phase composition in methanol-water and acetonitrile-water systems.     

Convenient estimation of the mobile phase volume for water-rich eluents in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Summary Oxalodihydroxamic acid is proposed as a UV-detectable substitute for D₂O for the convenient estimation of the mobile phase volume (V_m) of water-rich hydro-organic eluents in reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The retention volume of oxalodihydroxamic acid deviates less than 6% from that of D₂O in 0 to 50% methanol-and acetonitrile-water eluents on C₁, C₈, and C₁₈ reversed-phase supports; it is independent of the amount injected from 10ng to 20μg when monitored at 254nm, although the sensitivity is about four-fold greater at 219 nm. The pH should be maintained between about 2 and 4. The deviation from the D₂O retention volume on supports of typical porosity is attributed, at least in part, to a size-exclusion effect. Simple hydroxamic acids can be used as a homologous series for the estimation of V_m over most of the methanol- and acetonitrile-water concentration ranges by the linearization of retentions of homologous series method. Presented at the 15th International Symposium on Chromatography, Nürnberg, October 1984     

Retention prediction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in reversed phase liquid chromatography with various mobile phase compositions and column temperatures

Summary The relationship between the logarithmic capacity factor measured in reversed-phase liquid chromatography and the operating conditions including the mobile phase composition and the column temperature is investigated. The strategy described herein can offer the possibility to predict the retention of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons without any experiments and standard materials, by utilizing equations describing the relationships between retention, temperature, mobile phase composition and physicochemical properties of the solutes previously stored in the program of the microcomputer-assisted retention prediction system.This concept is one of the most promising techniques for the optimization of the separation conditions in reversed-phase liquid chromatography.     

Characterization of oxide layers on Ti6Al4V and titanium by streaming potential and streaming current measurements

Titanium and titanium alloys (e.g. Ti6Al4V) are increasingly used as medical implant materials in a wide variety of applications. So far, many surface properties of the passive layer considered to explain interactions with biological tissues are deduced from those of the crystalline phases of titanium dioxide (anatase, rutile, brookite), but do not necessarily correspond to those of naturally formed amorphous passive layers. We report on streaming potential and streaming current measurements on oxide layers on Ti6Al4V and Ti, carried out using a microslit electrokinetic set-up (MES) and a commercial electrokinetic analyzer (EKA, PAAR). Passive and anodic oxide layers on Ti6Al4V, as well as passive layers on titanium sputtered on glass, were investigated in this study. Isoelectric points (IEP) of ≈4.4 were found for all oxide layers. The IEP of the air-formed passive layer on Ti6Al4V did not depend on the KCl concentration. Hence, it was concluded that IEP is here identical to the point of zero charge (pzc). Controversially, the charge formation process seems to depend on the chloride ion concentration in the neutral and basic pH region.     

A comparison of temperature and mobile phase composition effects for bonded liquid crystal and polymeric stationary phases in HPLC

Summary Using two polycyclyic aromatic hydrocarbons as solutes, a comparison is made between a bonded liquid crystal stationary phase and a conventional polymeric C-18 phase. The bonded nematic liquid crystal phase was the silanized form of 4-[4-(allyloxy)benzoyl-oxy]biphenyl and the polymeric phase was Vydac 201TP. Both phases display shape and planarity selectivity as indicated by the results of the variable temperature and mobile phase composition studies. The slot theory of retention can be used to explain these results. However, the liquid crystal phase is more sensitive to molecular geometry, probably due to its more ordered structure on the surface. Variable temperature experiments which compare retention during both heating and cooling provides additional support for this conclusion. With the polymeric bonded C-18 phase, each solute had identical retention at the same temperature during both the heating and cooling cycles. On the bonded liquid crystal phase, measurable differences in retention were observed at identical temperatures depending on whether the column was heated or cooled. This effect is attributed to a degree of partially reversible disordering which occurs as the column temperature was increased. However, conditioning with the appropriate mobile phase can restore the original retention characteristics of the bonded liquid crystal phase.     

Influence of injection parameters on column performance in nanoscale high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary The influence of the injection volume and the sample solvent on column efficiency has been evaluated in packed nano liquid chromatography using columns 150μ i.d. Evaluation of column performance was by means of reduced plate height (h) versus reduced velocity (v) for four polyaromatic hydrocarbon test compounds (PAHs). When compounds are dissolved in a weak solvent (such as MeCN: H₂O, 30∶70), and whatever the injection volume −60 or 200 nL-a gain in efficiency can be observed due to the well-known on-column focusing phenomenon, but keeping constant solute retention factors. Under optimized conditions (flow rate: 150 nLmin⁻¹, solvent sample MeCN: H₂O, 30∶70, injection volume 200 nL), a reduced plate height of 1.83 has been obtained for a 15 μm C₁₈ packing corresponding to 36000 plates m⁻¹, which illustrates the absence of any extracolumn band broadening under nano LC conditions.     

Chiral discrimination of phenoxypropionic acid herbicides on teicoplanin phase: Effect of mobile phase modifier

Summary The chiral recgonition mechanism for a series of phenoxypropionic acid herbicides was investigated in reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) on a teicoplanin stationary phase over a wide range of column temperatures. Thermodynamic constants, of the transfer of an enantiomer from the mobile to the teicoplanin stationary phases were determined. The van't Hoff plots for all solutes had a break at a critical temperature T^* showing a variation in the enantiomer retention mechanism due to a change in the conformational state of the teicoplanin, structure. Additionally, enthalpy-entropy compensation confirmed both the change in enantiomer interaction mechanism observed for regions T<T^* and T>T^* and the independence of this mechanism from (i) herbicide molecular structure,s i.e. the position of the chloro group on the phenol ring and (ii) the carbon absolute configuration. Moreover, the increasing enantioselectivity with increasing methanol fraction in the mobile phase was attributed to restriction of the solute association in the teicoplain, stationary phase, leading to favorable stereoselective interactions. This behavior was used to optimize chromatographic conditions for separation of herbicide enantiomers on teicoplanin.     

Influence of column characteristics on retention and selectivity in RP-HPLC

Summary Eight commercially available reversed-phase (RP) columns of widely different characteristics were evaluated and compared using the linear solvation energy relationships (LSER). Retention factors of 32 solutes of different types were determined under isocratic conditions using an acetonitrile-water (30∶70) mobile phase. Stationary phase properties were compared by the fitting coefficients of the LSER-based regression equations which are characteristic of the individual stationary phases and represent the extent of various molecular interactions contributing to the retention process. The good agreement between the calculated and measured logk values for different type of compounds support the adequacy and applicability of the LSER model to describe chromatographic retention. Characterization of column performance for the separation of various type of compounds was established by the determination of the different selectivity factors representing hydrophobic selectivity, polar selectivity and specific selectivity.     

Combined effect of organic modifier concentration and column temperature on retention in reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatography

Summary The retention behavior of phenylamine and naphthylamine sulphonic acid was evaluated in reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatography as a function of organic modifier concentration and column temperature. It has been observed that the logarithm of capacity factors decrease linearly with organic modifier concentration, and there is a good linear relationship between the intercept and slope for this relationship. Phenylamine and naphthylamine sulphonic acid retention decreases with increase in column temperature. A linear dependence of lnk _ip on the reciprocal of the absolute temperature, the Van't Hoff plot, was observed over the column temperature range studied, and the standard enhalpic change (H^o) for these sulphonic acid transfers from the mobile phaser to the stationary phase was determined. H^o was dependent on the solute structure and in the range from 2.5 Kcal/mol to 5.5 Kcal/mol, which is close to that observed in RP-HPLC. The enthalpy/entropy compensation effect was evaluated by plotting lnk _ip(T) vs. –H^o, and the apparent differences in retention mechanisms between the analytes were observed, which may arise from the significant differences in their configuration, hydrophobicity and the charges of the solutes as well as the complex retention processes of RP-IPC.     

Influence of the mobile phase composition on the adsorption isotherms of an amino-acid derivative on immobilized bovine serum albumin

Summary The saturation capacity of columns packed with bovine serum albumin immobilized on silica has been determined for the N-benzoyl derivative of leucine at different compositions of a 1-propanol/water mobile phase. In all cases it has been found that the equilibrium adsorption data are well accounted for by a biLangmuir isotherm. The experimental data are consistent with the assumption that the column saturation capacity of the chiral selective sites as well as the saturation capacity of the non-selective sites are independent of the 1-propanol concentration in the range 0–10%.