High performance liquid chromatographic separations of gas oil samples and their hydrotreated products using commercial normal phases

Three commercially available high performance liquid chromatography columns are used in normal phase or quasi-normal phase mode for the separation of gas oil samples. The columns are tested with 20 analytical standards to determine their suitability for separations of petroleum samples and their ability to separate the nitrogen group-types (pyrrole and pyridine) found in petroleum. The columns studied are polymeric hypercrosslinked polystyrene (HGN), a biphenyl phase, and a Chromegabond "DNAP" column from ES Industries. The HGN column separates gas oils based on both ring structure and heteroatom, while the biphenyl phase has low retention of most compounds studied in quasi-normal phase mode. The "DNAP" column is selective for nitrogen-containing compounds, separating them from PAHs as well as oxygen and sulphur compounds. Retention data of standards on all three columns is shown, along with chromatograms of gas oil samples on the HGN and "DNAP" columns.     

Quasi-normal phase chromatography of nitrogen-containing adamantane derivatives

The chromatographic retention of adamantyl-containing amidrazones and triazoles is studied under the conditions of quasi-normal phase (QNP) and reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography using partially sulfonated hypercrosslinked polystyrene as a stationary phase. The considerable effect of the sorbent-sorbate π interactions on the retention factor of the analytes, particularly under conditions of QNP chromatography, is revealed.     

Stationary and mobile phases in hydrophilic interaction chromatography: a review

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is valuable alternative to reversed-phase liquid chromatography separations of polar, weakly acidic or basic samples. In principle, this separation mode can be characterized as normal-phase chromatography on polar columns in aqueous-organic mobile phases rich in organic solvents (usually acetonitrile). Highly organic HILIC mobile phases usually enhance ionization in the electrospray ion source of a mass spectrometer, in comparison to mobile phases with higher concentrations of water generally used in reversed-phase (RP) LC separations of polar or ionic compounds, which is another reason for increasing popularity of this technique. Various columns can be used in the HILIC mode for separations of peptides, proteins, oligosaccharides, drugs, metabolites and various natural compounds: bare silica gel, silica-based amino-, amido-, cyano-, carbamate-, diol-, polyol-, zwitterionic sulfobetaine, or poly(2-sulphoethyl aspartamide) and other polar stationary phases chemically bonded on silica gel support, but also ion exchangers or zwitterionic materials showing combined HILIC-ion interaction retention mechanism. Some stationary phases are designed to enhance the mixed-mode retention character. Many polar columns show some contributions of reversed phase (hydrophobic) separation mechanism, depending on the composition of the mobile phase, which can be tuned to suit specific separation problems. Because the separation selectivity in the HILIC mode is complementary to that in reversed-phase and other modes, combinations of the HILIC, RP and other systems are attractive for two-dimensional applications. This review deals with recent advances in the development of HILIC phase separation systems with special attention to the properties of stationary phases. The effects of the mobile phase, of sample structure and of temperature on separation are addressed, too.     

硅胶色谱柱的亲水作用保留机理及其影响因素

亲水作用色谱（HILIC）是替代反相色谱（RPLC）分离强极性及亲水性化合物的另一色谱模式,其分离机理与RPLC有很大不同,具有和RPLC互补的选择性。在HILIC模式中,采用正相色谱（NPLC）中的极性固定相及含高浓度有机溶剂（通常为乙腈）的水溶液为流动相。硅胶是开发最早、研究最为深入及应用最为广泛的HILIC固定相,本文介绍了硅胶色谱柱的HILIC保留机理,详细概述了操作条件如硅胶柱类型、流动相组成及柱温对HILIC分离的影响,并对硅胶填料色谱柱的HILIC模式的发展方向与应用前景进行了展望。     

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography using amino and silica columns for the determination of polar pharmaceuticals and impurities

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is described as a useful alternative to reversed-phase chromatography for applications involving polar compounds. In the HILIC mode, an aqueous-organic mobile phase is used with a polar stationary phase to provide normal-phase retention behavior. Silica and amino columns with aqueous-acetonitrile mobile phases offer potential for use in the HILIC mode. An examination of the retention and separation of several pyrimidines, purines, and amides on silica and amino columns from three manufacturers revealed that mobile phases should contain a buffer or acid for pH control to achieve similar and reproducible results among columns from different sources. Amino columns may also be used in an anion-exchange mode, which provides an advantage for some applications. In some cases, silica can provide different selectivity and better separation than an amino column. Example applications include: low-molecular-mass organic acids and amides as impurities in non-polar drug substances, 5-fluorouracil in 5-fluorocytosine, guanine in acyclovir, and different selectivity for polar basic compounds compared to an ion-pairing system.     

Use of linear solvation energy relationships for characterization of hypercrosslinked polystyrene stationary phases

Linear solvation energy relationships (LSER model) was tested for the characterization of hypercrosslinked polystyrene (HCPS) stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Analysis of LSER coefficients showed that hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions are the major contributors to retention on HCPS. Fluorine atoms in HCPS increase the fractions of both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions in the retention. The utility of fluorinated HCPS in the separation of di-n-phthalate mixtures by reversed-phase liquid chromatography was demonstrated.     

Monolithic stationary phases with a longitudinal gradient of porosity

The duration of the hypercrosslinking reaction has been used to control the extent of small pores formation in polymer‐based monolithic stationary phases. Segments of five columns hypercrosslinked for 30–360 min were coupled via zero‐volume unions to prepare columns with segmented porosity gradients. The steepness of the porosity gradient affected column efficiency, mass transfer resistance, and separation of both small‐molecule alkylbenzenes and high‐molar‐mass polystyrene standards. In addition, the segmented column with the steepest porosity gradient was prepared as a single column with a continuous porosity gradient. The steepness of porosity gradient in this type column was tuned. Compared to a completely hypercrosslinked column, the column with the shallower gradient produced comparable size‐exclusion separation of polystyrene standards but allowed higher column permeability. The completely hypercrosslinked column and the column with porosity gradient were successfully coupled in online two‐dimensional liquid chromatography of polymers.     

环果糖色谱柱分离4组结构类似物

考察了聚苯乙烯键合天然环果糖色谱柱MCI Gel CRS100、硅胶键合天然环果糖色谱柱Frulic N、硅胶键合异丙基氨基甲酸酯衍生环果糖色谱柱Larihc P、硅胶键合R-萘乙基氨基甲酸酯衍生环果糖色谱柱Larihc RN在正相模式下对免疫抑制剂、维生素E、姜黄类化合物、辣椒碱4组结构类似物的分离能力。考察了固定相支撑物、固定相功能基团、流动相组成等条件对色谱分离效率的影响。结果显示MCI Gel CRS100由于其固定相较强的疏水性适用于正相色谱而不适用于亲水作用色谱。衍生化的环果糖色谱柱Larihc P和Larihc RN比天然环果糖色谱柱Frulic N具有更高的选择性。三氟乙酸的加入对环果糖色谱柱在正相色谱中分离能力的影响较小。     

Epoxide‐derived mixed‐mode chromatographic stationary phases for separation of active substances in fixed‐dose combination drugs

A method for the preparation of novel mixed‐mode reversed‐phase/strong cation exchange stationary phase for the separation of fixed‐dose combination drugs has been developed. An epoxysilane bonded silica prepared by vapor phase deposition was used as a starting material to produce diol, octadecyl, sulfonate, and mixed octadecyl/sulfonate groups bonded silica phases. The chemical structure and surface coverage of the functional groups on these synthesized phases were confirmed by fourier‐transform infrared and solid‐state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Alkylbenzene homologs, basic drugs, nucleobases and alkylaniline homologs were used as probes to demonstrate the reversed‐phase, ion exchange, hydrophilic interaction and mixed‐mode retention behaviors of these stationary phases. The octadecyl/sulfonate bonded silica exhibits pronounced mixed‐mode retention behavior and superior retentivity and selectivity for alkylaniline homologs. The mixed‐mode retention is affected by either ionic or solvent strength in the mobile phase, permiting optimization of a separation by fine tuning these parameters. The mixed‐mode stationary phase was applied to separate two fixed‐dose combination drugs: compound reserpine tablets and compound methoxyphenamine capsules. The results show that simultaneous separation of multiple substances in the compound dosage can be achieved on the mixed‐mode phase, which makes multi‐cycles of analysis for multiple components obsolete.     

Effect of water on the retention on diol and amide columns in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

The amount of water adsorbed on polar columns plays important role in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography. It may strongly differ for the individual types of polar columns used in this separation mode. We measured adsorption isotherms of water on an amide and three diol‐bonded stationary phases that differ in the chemistry of the bonded ligands and properties of the silica gel support. We studied the effects of the adsorbed water on the retention of aromatic carboxylic acids, flavonoids, benzoic acid derivatives, nucleic bases, and nucleosides in aqueous‐acetonitrile mobile phases over the full composition range. The graphs of the retention factors versus the volume fraction of water in mobile phase show “U‐profile” characteristic of a dual hydrophilic interaction–reversed phase retention mechanism. The minimum on the graph that marks the changing retention mechanism depends on the amount of adsorbed water. The linear solvation energy relationship model suggests that the retention in the hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography mode is controlled mainly by proton–donor interactions in the stationary phase, depending on the column type. Finally, the accuracy of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography gradient prediction improves for columns that show a high water adsorption.     

New zwitterionic polymethacrylate monolithic columns for one‐ and two‐dimensional microliquid chromatography

We prepared 0.53 and 0.32 mm id monolithic microcolumns by in situ copolymerization of a zwitterionic sulfobetaine functional monomer with bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate (BIGDMA) and dioxyethylene dimetacrylate crosslinkers. The columns show a dual retention mechanism (hydrophilic‐interaction mode) in acetonitrile‐rich mobile phases and RP in highly aqueous mobile phases. The new 0.53 mm id columns provided excellent reproducibility, retention, and separation selectivity for phenolic acids and flavonoids. The new zwitterionic monolithic columns are highly orthogonal, with respect to alkyl silica stationary phases, not only in the hydrophilic‐interaction mode but also in the RP mode. The optimized monolithic zwitterionic microcolumn of 0.53 mm id was employed in the first dimension, either in the aqueous normal‐phase or in the RP mode, coupled with a short nonpolar core‐shell column in the second dimension, for comprehensive 2D LC separations of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. When the 2D setup with the sulfobetaine–BIGDMA column was used for repeated sample analysis, with alternating gradients of decreasing (hydrophilic‐interaction mode), and increasing (RP mode) concentration of acetonitrile on the sulfobetaine–BIGDMA column in the first dimension, useful complementary information on the sample could be obtained.     

Zirconia based monoliths used in hydrophilic-interaction chromatography for original selectivity of xanthines

Monolithic capillary columns based on zirconia were prepared directly from zirconium alkoxide. They were also prepared coating a classical silica based monolithic column with zirconium butoxide. Using the gradual evolution of the theophylline/caffeine separation factor, it was found that successive zirconia coatings produced the progressive fading of surface silanols replaced by Zr–OH groups. The behavior of a silica monolith coated four times with zirconium butoxide was very similar to that of a pure zirconia monolith. The dramatic change in xanthine separation factor observed with zirconia stationary phases and the theophylline and caffeine probe solutes was used to develop a complete separation of xanthines on zirconia stationary phase in less than 6 min. The three dimethylxanthine isomers, theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine, are very difficult to separate in RPLC with classical C₁₈ stationary phases. The three isomers were easily separated in HILIC mode on a zirconia based stationary phase.     

Synthesis and characterization of new organometallic complexes bonded stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary The preparation, characterization and potential liquid chromatographic applications of various organometallic iron complexes silica stationary phases are presented. These new supports are synthesized by covalently linking ferrocene, as well as some of its cationic derivatives, to appropriately derivatized silica support matrices. These columns exhibit moderate to high selectivity towards the separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A charge transfer retention mechanism has been proposed. A comparison with a reference stationary phase, 3,5-dinitrobenzamide (DNB), to quantify the acceptor power of the new stationary bonded phases, is also reported. Finally, the effect of varying the derivatives of the bonded metallocene on PAHs retention is discussed.     

A unified classification of stationary phases for packed column supercritical fluid chromatography

The use of supercritical fluids as chromatographic mobile phases allows to obtain rapid separations with high efficiency on packed columns, which could favour the replacement of numerous HPLC methods by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) ones. Moreover, despite some unexpected chromatographic behaviours, general retention rules are now well understood, and mainly depend on the nature of the stationary phase. The use of polar stationary phases improves the retention of polar compounds, when C18-bonded silica favours the retention of hydrocarbonaceous compounds. In this sense, reversed-phase and normal-phase chromatography can be achieved in SFC, as in HPLC. However, these two domains are clearly separated in HPLC due to the opposite polarity of the mobile phases used for each method. In SFC, the same mobile phase can be used with both polar and non-polar stationary phases. Consequently, the need for a novel classification of stationary phases in SFC appears, allowing a unification of the classical reversed- and normal-phase domains. In this objective, the paper presents the development of a five-dimensional classification based on retention data for 94-111 solutes, using 28 commercially available columns representative of three major types of stationary phases. This classification diagram is based on a linear solvation energy relationship, on the use of solvation vectors and the calculation of similarity factors between the different chromatographic systems. This classification will be of great help in the choice of the well-suited stationary phase, either in regards of a particular separation or to improve the coupling of columns with complementary properties.     

Preparation and characterisation of anion-exchange latex-coated silica monoliths for capillary electrochromatography

Silica monoliths coated with functionalised latex particles have been prepared for use in monolithic ion-exchange capillary electrochromatography (IE-CEC) for the separation of inorganic anions. The ion-exchange monoliths were prepared using 70 nm quaternary ammonium, anion-exchange latex particles, which were bound electrostatically to a monolithic silica skeleton synthesised in a fused silica capillary. The resulting stationary phases were characterised in terms of their chromatographic performance and capacity. The capacity of a 50 microm diameter 25 cm latex-coated silica monolith was found to be 0.342 nanoequivalents and 80,000 theoretical plates per column were typically achieved for weakly retained anions, with lower efficiency being observed for analytes exhibiting strong ion-exchange interaction with the stationary phase. The electroosmotic flow (EOF) was reversed after the latex-coating was applied (-25.96 m2 V(-1) s(-1), relative standard deviation (RSD) 2.8%) and resulted in anions being separated in the co-EOF mode. Ion-exchange interactions between the analytes and the stationary phase were manipulated by varying the ion-exchange selectivity coefficient and the concentration of a competing ion (phosphate or perchlorate) present in the electrolyte. Large concentrations of competing ion (greater than 1M phosphate or 200 mM perchlorate) were required to completely suppress ion-exchange interactions, which highlighted the significant retention effects that could be achieved using monolithic columns compared to open tubular columns, without the problems associated with particle-packed columns. The latex-coated silica monoliths were easily produced in bulk quantities and performed reproducibly in acidic electrolytes. The high permeability and beneficial phase ratio makes these columns ideal for micro-LC and preconcentration applications.     

Investigation of polar stationary phases for the separation of sympathomimetic drugs with nano-liquid chromatography in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography mode

In this study, the retention and selectivity of a mixture of basic polar drugs were investigated in hydrophilic interaction chromatographic conditions (HILIC) using nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC). Six sympathomimetic drugs including ephedrine, norephedrine, synephrine, epinephrine, norepinephrine and norphenylephrine were separated by changing experimental parameters such as stationary phase, acetonitrile (ACN) content, buffer pH and concentration, column temperature. Four polar stationary phases (i.e. cyano-, diol-, aminopropyl-silica and Luna HILIC, a cross-linked diol phase) were selected and packed into fused silica capillary columns of 100 μm internal diameter (i.d.). Among the four stationary phases investigated a complete separation of the all studied compounds was achieved with aminopropyl silica and Luna HILIC stationary phases only. Best chromatographic results were obtained employing a mobile phase composed by ACN/water (92/8, v/v) containing 10 mM ammonium formate buffer pH 3. The influence of the capillary temperature on the resolution of the polar basic drugs was investigated in the range between 10 and 50 °C. Linear correlation of ln k vs. 1/T was observed for all the columns; ΔH° values were negative with Luna HILIC and positive with aminopropyl- and diol-silica stationary phases, demonstrating that different mechanisms were involved in the separation.To compare the chromatographic performance of the different columns, Van Deemter curves were also investigated.     

Characterization of stationary phases by a linear solvation energy relationship utilizing supercritical fluid chromatography

Supercritical fluid chromatography was utilized in combination with the Abraham model of linear solvation energy relationship to characterize 11 different HPLC stationary phases. System constants were determined at one supercritical fluid chromatography condition for each stationary phase. The results indicate that several types of silica columns, including type B silica, type C silica, and fused core silica, are very similar in their retention behavior. Several aromatic stationary phases were characterized and it was found that, in contrast to the other phases studied, all of the aromatic stationary phases had positive contributions from the dispersion/cavity (v) term of the linear solvation energy relationship. Several aliphatic phases were characterized and there were several linear solvation energy relationship constants that differentiated the phases from each other, mainly the polar terms (dipolarity and hydrogen bonding). One stationary phase, a fused core pentafluorophenyl (PFP) phase, had very poor regression quality. The column volume of this phase was lower than the others in the study, which may have had some impact on the results of the regression.