Universal counter-current chromatography modelling based on counter-current distribution

There is clearly a need for a model which is versatile enough to take into account the numerous operating modes and pump out procedures that can be used with counter-current chromatography (CCC). This paper will describe a universal model for counter-current chromatography based on counter-current distribution. The model is validated with real separations from the literature and against established CCC partition theory. This universal model is proven to give good results for isocratic flow modes, as well as for co-current CCC and dual flow CCC, and will likely also give good results for other modes such as intermittent CCC.     

Continuous counter-current extraction on an industrial sample using dual-flow counter-current chromatography

Both batch and continuous separations were performed on an industrial liquor using a specially built continuous counter-current extraction centrifuge. Changing the flow regime for different batch separations showed that the elution of components from the respective ends of the coil depends on the flow rates of both upper and lower phases. It was shown that, within the scope of the study, the elution of the components was not affected by the concentration of the injected reaction liquor and more importantly that continuous processing with a counter-current chromatography centrifuge was feasible. This research represents an important step forward in making continuous counter-current chromatography (or true moving bed chromatography) accessible for the pharmaceutical industry.     

Preparative separation of six terpenoids from Wedelia prostrata Hemsl. by two-step high-speed counter-current chromatography

Terpenoids are principal chemical compounds of Wedelia prostrata Hemsl. and have different biological activities, thus the study on separation and purification of terpenoids from W. prostrata Hemsl. is necessary. In this paper, high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully established for preparative isolation and purification of terpenoids from extracts of petroleum ether fraction which extracted from whole herbs of W. prostrata Hemsl. In the process, a total of 750?mg of sample was prepared for HSCCC isolation. Terpenoids were separated and purified with the two-phase solvent system n-hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (9:1:9:1, 19:1:19:1, v/v/v/v). Therefore, 5α-hydroxy-2-oxo-p-menth-6(1)-ene (4.4?mg), 3α-angeloyloxy-ent-kaur-16-en-oic acid (5.6?mg), 3α-tigloyloxy-ent-kaur-16-en-oic acid (5.7?mg), 3α-phenylpropionoyloxy-ent-kaur-16-en-oic acid (7.3?mg), 3α-senecioyloxy-ent-kaur-16-en-oic acid (11.4?mg), and kaurenoic acid (12.3?mg) were obtained from W. prostrata Hemsl. and their purities reached standard determined by HPLC. Among them, 3α-phenylpropionoyloxy-ent-kaur-16-en-oic acid and 5α-hydroxy-2-oxo-p-menth-6(1)-ene were first isolated with high quantity as a useful chemical resource. The structures of these compounds were identified by ESI-MS, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR. The present results demonstrated that high-speed counter-current chromatography was a fast and efficient technique for preparative separation of six terpenoids from W. prostrata Hemsl. which provided a useful reference to solve the problem of their sample availability for drug development.     

The three-dimensional model for helical columns on type-J synchronous counter-current chromatography

Unlike the existing 2-D pseudo-ring model for helical columns undergoing synchronous type-J planetary motion of counter-current chromatograph (CCC), the 3-D "helix" model developed in this work shows that there is a second normal force (i.e. the binormal force) applied virtually in the axial direction of the helical column. This force alternates in the two opposite directions and intensifies phase mixing with increasing the helix angle. On the contrary, the 2-D spiral column operated on the same CCC device lacks this third-dimensional mixing force. The (principal) normal force quantified by this "helix" model has been the same as that by the pseudo-ring model. With β>0.25, this normal centrifugal force has been one-directional and fluctuates cyclically. Different to the spiral column, this "helix" model shows that the centrifugal force (i.e. the hydrostatic force) does not contribute to stationary phase retention in the helical column. Between the popular helical columns and the emerging spiral columns for type-J synchronous CCC, this work has thus illustrated that the former is associated with better phase mixing yet poor retention for the stationary phase whereas the latter has potential for better retention for the stationary phase yet poor phase mixing. The methodology developed in this work may be regarded as a new platform for designing optimised CCC columns for analytical and engineering applications.     

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.     

Effect of gravitational force on type-J counter-current chromatography by mathematical analysis

The gravitational force exerts an important effect on the counter-current chromatography (CCC) and has been used to retain the stationary phase and improve the efficiency in the various CCC separations. This paper deals with the effect of gravitational force on type-J CCC, one of the most popular CCC methods by the mathematical analysis for the first time. The theoretical analyses reveal a close relationship between the effect of gravitational force, the placed orientation of type-J CCC apparatus, and the revolutional speed. Two placed orientations are more suitable for preparative CCC separation: one is common horizontal, and the other upright. Thus, there are three optimum conditions for type-J CCC separation, the first using horizontal apparatus at very low revolutional speed around 10rpm in the gravitational filed, the second by use of upright apparatus at moderate revolutional speed around 100rpm in the three-dimensional complex force field composed of centrifugal and orthogonal gravitational force, and the third employing the apparatus placed at any orientation including horizontal and upright CCC apparatus at high revolutional speed above 300rpm in the centrifugal force field. Therefore, we should consider the effect of gravitation force on CCC at the selection of proper operational conditions according to properties of two immiscible phases, the desired revolutional speed and the parameters of apparatus in order to utilize efficiently the effect of gravitational force. These analyses and results will benefit to improve the efficiency of CCC separation, especially large-scale industrial preparation.     

Developments in the application of counter-current chromatography to plant analysis

Counter-current chromatography is a very versatile separation technique which does not require a solid stationary phase. It relies simply on the partition of a sample between the two phases of an immiscible solvent system. Some of the more recent applications of the method to the separation of plant-derived natural products are described here. Crude plant extracts and semi-pure fractions can be chromatographed, with sample loads ranging from milligrams to grams. Aqueous and non-aqueous solvent systems are used and the separation of compounds with a wide range of polarities is possible. The technique is complementary to other chromatographic methods and is compatible with gradient systems. The possibilities for solvent selection are almost limitless but some guidelines for the choice of successful systems are presented.     

Novel flame photometric detector for gas chromatography based on counter-current gas flows

A novel analytical device has been developed for gas chromatography. It is based on optical emission from a counter-current (i.e. counter-flowing) air or oxygen flame, which burns in an opposing stream of hydrogen and column effluent. The flame is typically positioned "upside down" on the upper (air) jet, which faces the lower (hydrogen + effluent) jet. It can also be positioned on the lower jet, be connected to both jets, or be suspended in the gap between them. Excellent stability can be obtained in any of these modes. Overall, this new "counter-current flame photometric detector" (ccFPD) responds to analytes in the manner of a conventional flame photometric detector (FPD); however, it can be operated over a much wider range of gas flows. For instance, the same physical ccFPD burner easily supports stable flames of air flows between 5 and 200 ml/min and corresponding hydrogen flows between 5 and 10,000 ml/min. Visual observation of the counter-current flame, in the presence of sulfur and phosphorus as test analytes, reveals intense, steady luminescence under a wide variety of conditions. Additionally, and in contrast to the commercial FPD, flame conductivity signals can be obtained that are similar in quality to those produced by a conventional flame ionization detector (FID). Thus the ccFPD is a flexible, easily optimized photometric detector. The exceptional flow stability of the ccFPD was used to explore the earlier reported phenomenon of strong signal/noise (S/N) ratios, which had been obtained for hetero-elements of the iron group from a conventional FPD with a small, stoichiometric flame. Results using the ccFPD, which also exhibits this unusual response, indicate that these high S/N ratios are only partly due to the predictable decrease in flame noise with decreasing flame size. Contrary to expectations, the absolute analyte signal often increases as the flame size decreases to the point of extinction. The signal intensity and the magnitude of the observed changes depend to some degree on the flame composition (H2/O2 ratio).     

Flow rate gradient high-speed counter-current chromatography separation of five diterpenoids from Triperygium wilfordii and scale-up

In this paper, high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) instruments with different gravitational forces were applied for the separation of bioactive compounds from Triperygium wilfordii Hook.f. The critical parameters including sample concentration, sample volume and flow rate were first optimized on an analytical Mini-DE HSCCC system, and then scaled up to a preparative TBE 300A HSCCC system. Although this scale-up process was performed using different CCC instruments with different centrifuges and gravitational forces, the same resolutions were obtained and the elution time could be predictable. Five diterpenoid compounds and one unknown compound were separated from Triperygium wilfordii Hook.f. by HSCCC with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (HEMW) (3:2:3:2, v/v/v/v). This one-step flow gradient separation produced triptonide (25 mg), isoneotriptophenolide (77 mg), hypolide (83 mg), unknown compound (1 mg), triptophenolide (42 mg), triptonoterpene methyl ether VI (37 mg) from 320 mg crude extract with purities of 98.2%, 96.6%, 98.1%, 95.3%, 95.1%, and 96.5%, respectively. Their purities and structures were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and NMR. This paper demonstrates that analytical CCC plays an important role in optimizing parameters and scale-up process when analytical CCC and preparative CCC are supplied by different manufacturers with different gravitational forces, and the scale-up process from analytical CCC to preparative CCC is still predictable.     

Studies on an abnormally sharpened elution peak observed in counter-current chromatography.

Counter-current chromatography (CCC) of the bromoacetylation product of 3,3',5-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) produced an unusually sharp peak for the desired product, N-bromoacetyl T3 (BrAcT3). A series of experiments revealed that bromoacetic acid, probably present as a side reaction product in the sample solution, was responsible. This compound repressed the ionization of the carboxyl group of BrAcT3 forcing it into the less polar stationary phase until the bromoacetic acid had eluted completely from the apparatus. At this point, the sudden increase of pH and consequent ionization of the BrAcT3 allowed the ammonium salt of the latter to enter the more polar moving phase where it eluted rapidly from the column as a sharp peak. The same phenomenon was observed in the CCC fractionation of a series of indole auxins where addition of trifluoroacetic acid to the sample caused peak sharpening by the same process. The phenomenon recalls pH gradient elution and isoelectric focussing except that the substance responsible for the pH range here is added along with the sample in one bolus forming a sharp pH gradient at its trailing edge. As with gradient elution, the technique is of practical interest since it permits collection of the eluting compounds with increased detectability in fewer fractions. The technique can also enhance separation of compounds whose partition coefficients differ with a change in pH.     

Gradient elution in counter-current chromatography: a new layout for an old path

Gradient elution in CCC is a powerful tool, which needs further systematic development to become robust and easy to use. The first attempt to build a correlation between gradient elution profile and distribution ratio (K(D)) values for model mixtures containing typical representatives of pharmaceutical compounds is presented in this paper. The three step estimation of the solvent system composition of a heptane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (HEMWat) series is described. The estimation is based on simple measurements of initial and final stationary phase retention for gradient elution run, calculating gradient distribution ratio and correlating it with static K(D) against HEMWat number.     

高速逆流色谱在分离纯化木蝴蝶活性成分中的线性放大

利用高速逆流色谱分离纯化中草药木蝴蝶乙酸乙酯粗提物中的黄酮类活性成分,并将分离规模从分析型线性放大到制备型,以获得大量的活性成分,为进一步的药物筛选提供物质基础。实验在分析型高速逆流色谱上对分离参数进行了系统优化,并将优化条件放大到制备型高速逆流色谱上对911.6 mg木蝴蝶乙酸乙酯粗提物进行分离,得到5种化合物,经高效液相色谱、电喷雾电离质谱和核磁共振氢谱、碳谱分析鉴定,分别为白杨素(160.9 mg,纯度为97.3%)、黄芩素(130.4 mg,纯度为97.6%)、黄芩素-7-O-葡萄糖苷(314.0 mg,纯度为98.3%)、黄芩素-7-O-双葡萄糖苷(179.1 mg,纯度为99.2%)和一种新的白杨素双葡萄糖苷(21.7 mg,纯度为98.8%)。该放大过程不仅将处理量提高了53倍,还保持了在分析型设备上的分离度和分离时间。该工作为天然产物的研究提供了一个高效的分离纯化方法。     

Purification of a synthetic myristylated peptide by counter-current chromatography

A preparative purification of myristyl-Gly-Asn-Ile-Phe-Ala-Asn-Leu-Phe-Lys-Gly-Leu-Phe-Gly-Lys-Lys-Glu -NH2 was accomplished using the multi-coil counter-current chromatograph. A partition coefficient was determined in the n-butanol-acetic acid-water (4:1:5) system. Chromatographic runs were made in this system and one modified with ethyl acetate. The peptide material showed anomalous elution behavior due to its surfactant properties. It was found that by loading the sample exclusively in the stationary phase, satisfactory retention of the compound occurred. Finally, conditions utilizing the upper phase as the mobile phase successfully separated the impurities.     

Analysis of the equilibrium droplet shape based on an ellipsoidal droplet model

The extent of a droplet's spreading over a flat, smooth solid substrate and its equilibrium height in the presence of gravity are determined approximately, without a numerical solution of the governing nonlinear differential equation, by assuming that the droplet takes on the shape of an oblate spheroidal cap and by minimizing the corresponding free energy. The comparison with the full numerical evaluations confirms that the introduced approximation and the obtained results are accurate for contact angles below about 120° and for droplet sizes on the order of the capillary length of the liquid. The flattening effect of gravity is to increase the contact radius and decrease the height of the droplet, with these being more pronounced for higher values of the Bond number.     

Recent progress on the industrial scale-up of counter-current chromatography

The pharmaceutical industries are looking for rapid methods of purification and predictable scale-up for their drug development process that will cut their costs and enable them to reduce the time to market. In this paper, recent progress is reviewed in the development and demonstration of two types of industrial scale centrifugal liquid-liquid chromatography: hydrostatic and hydrodynamic. Industrial scale hydrostatic processes by Partus Technologies and Armen Instrument are just emerging. Results demonstrating scalability are presented for hydrodynamic processes by Dynamic Extractions. The review concludes that the time is now right, with this appropriate commercial support, for high performance counter-current chromatography to emerge as a major enabling technology for industry.     

Model based robustness analysis of an ion-exchange chromatography step

Process development, optimization and robustness analysis for chromatographic separation are often entirely based on experimental work and generic knowledge. This paper describes a model-based approach that can be used to gain process knowledge and assist in the robustness analysis of an ion-exchange chromatography step using a model-based approach. A kinetic dispersive model, where the steric mass action model accounts for the adsorption is used to describe column performance. Model calibration is based solely on gradient elution experiments at different gradients, flow rates, pH and column loads. The position and shape of the peaks provide enough information to calibrate the model and thus single-component experiments can be avoided. The model is calibrated to the experiments and the confidence intervals for the estimated parameters are used to account for the model error throughout the analysis. The model is used to predict the result of a robustness analysis conducted as a factorial experiment and to design a robust pooling approach. The confidence intervals are used in a "worst case" approach where the parameters for the components are set at the edge of their confidence intervals to create a worst case for the removal of impurities at each point in the factorial experiment. The pooling limit was changed to ensure product quality at every point in the factorial analysis. The predicted purities and yields were compared to the experimental results to ensure that the prediction intervals cover the experimental results.     

Development and evaluation of a spiral tube column for counter-current chromatography

An improved type-J counter-current chromatography (CCC) planet centrifuge with two spiral tube columns (volume 2×15 mL, β value 0.3-0.7, tubing 0.8 mm id) was developed and evaluated for its retention ability of four typical different solvent systems including heptane-methanol (1:1, v/v) (A), hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:1:1:1, v/v) (B), n-butanol-acetic acid-water (4:1:5, v/v) (C), PEG1000-K(2)HPO(4)-water (12.5:12.5:75, w/w) (D) under eight different operation modes. The results indicated that the spiral tube column could significantly increase the retention of four typical solvent systems compared with a traditional multilayer coil column with similar parameters (volume 35 mL, β value 0.3-0.7, tubing 0.8 mm id). The retention of stationary phase (S(f)) for the less polar system (A) and moderately polar solvent system (B) can be increased by about 10%, and for the polar system (C) and aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) (D) by 30-40%. The preliminary applications of this spiral tube column to the separation of small molecular compounds such as moderately polar theaflavins, polar anthocyanins and dipeptides were successful. Acceptable resolution can be obtained between cytochrome c and myoglobin, lysozyme and myoglobin when it was applied on protein separation; however, it still needs to be improved with regard to its column efficiency.     

Computer-assisted optimization of mobile phase compositions and development distance selectivity in gradient two-step development high-performance thin-layer chromatography

A computer-assisted method is presented for optimization of mobile phase compositions and development distance in gradient two-step development HPTLC. The method is based on a system which can predict the final Rf values for gradient two-step development from values measured using five preliminary runs. The statistical scanning method is then used for optimization, using Rf difference as the selection criterion. The method was evaluated using a mixture of eight components. Excellent agreement was obtained between predicted and experimental results. Gradient two-step development HPTLC, mobile phase composition optimization, velopment distance optimizationde-     

Observations of established dual flow in a spiral dual-flow counter-current chromatography coil

This paper describes the observations made in dual-flow counter-current chromatography. For the first time, the behaviour of the phases inside a spiral dual-flow coil has been studied using stroboscopic visualisation. During the study it was observed that the phase distribution and the linear flow rate in the tubing were not uniform throughout the coil, but behaved differently at each end of the coil with a transition area in between. The location of the transition area is dependent on the flow rate of both the upper and the lower phase. Understanding and then explaining such counter-current flow will significantly help in the prediction of elution behaviour in true moving bed chromatography.     

Counter-current chromatography based analysis of synergy in an anti-tuberculosis ethnobotanical

The crude extract of an Alaskan ethnobotanical plant, Oplopanax horridus, was subjected to counter-current chromatography (CCC), and the selected active regions were evaluated for their synergistic effects with an in vitro model of anti-tubercular efficacy. CCC as a support-free high-resolution separation method was employed to preclude potential irreversible absorption to a solid stationary phase. The microplate Alamar blue assay and the isobole method were used to measure the biological activity and eliminate dose-response dependent errors, respectively. Using the combination of CCC, bioassay and isobole method, significant synergistic effects were observed. Among the entire polarity range, fractions with distribution constant between 0.44 and 0.81 showed the most synergistic enhancement with an increase in potency by 108% for the recombined fractions.