Investigations on the behaviour of acidic, basic and neutral compounds in capillary electrochromatography on a mixed-mode stationary phase

This work describes the separation of acidic, basic and neutral organic compounds as well as inorganic anions in a single run by capillary electrochromatography employing a stationary phase which exhibits both strong anion-exchange and reversed-phase chromatographic characteristics. The positive surface charge of this stationary phase provided a substantial anodic electroosmotic flow. The analytes were separated by a mixed-mode mechanism which comprised chromatographic interactions (hydrophobic interactions, ion-exchange) as well as electrophoretic migration. The influence of ion-exchange and hydrophobic interactions on the retention/migration of the analytes could be manipulated by varying the concentration of a competing ion and/or the amount of organic modifier present in the background electrolyte. Additionally the effects of pH changes on both the chromatographic interactions as well as the electrophoretic migration of the analytes were investigated.     

Latex-functionalized monolithic columns for the separation of carbohydrates by micro anion-exchange chromatography

A novel stationary phase for micro ion chromatography has been prepared by coating a porous poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) monolith with quaternary amine-functionalized latex particles via simple electrostatic binding. This stationary phase enabled the separation of saccharides in the mobile phase with a high-pH value consisting of aqueous ammonia solution in anion-exchange mode using evaporative light scattering for detection. Effects of both porous properties of the monolithic stationary phase and chromatographic conditions on the separation ability were studied. Under optimized conditions, an efficient separation of seven saccharides was achieved in less than 10 min. The stationary phase also enables the separation of saccharides obtained by the enzymatic hydrolysis of corn starch.     

The Development of the In Situ Modification of 1st Generation Analytical Scale Silica Monoliths

Analytical scale silica monoliths are commercially limited to three column selectivities (bare silica, C8 and C18). An in situ modification is reported in detail to overcome this barrier and allow for any functionality of choice to be bonded to the silica surface of the monolithic stationary phase support. The modification method was conducted on a commercial bare silica column to bond the C18 moiety to the silica surface through a silylation reaction. The C18 type of stationary phase was chosen, as this is the most commonly bonded functionality for the majority of stationary phases used for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separations. The C18-modified monolith’s performance was compared to a commercial C18 monolithic and a particle packed column of the same analytical scale column dimensions (100 × 4.6 mm). The modified C18 monolith proved to be of high quality with an efficiency of 73,267 N m^?1, fast analysis times (operated at flow rates up to 3 mL min^?1 using a conventional 400 bar HPLC system) and improved resolution of a set of polar and non-polar substituted aromatics in comparison to a commercial C18 monolith.     

Spectroscopic properties of lanthanoid benzene carboxylates in the solid state: Part 2. Polar substituted benzoates

Europium and terbium complexes of ortho, meta and para substituted benzoate ligands including nitrobenzoate (NBA), aminobenzoate (ABA), hydroxybenzoate (OHBA) and methoxybenzoate (MeOBA) have been synthesised by metathesis reactions, carried out in aqueous media. The complexes were characterised by elemental, compositional and structural investigations, including microanalysis, EDTA titrations, differential thermal analysis, infra red spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and single crystal structural analyses. Besides this, strong emphasis was on the determination of the optoelectronic properties of the compounds in the solid state. In this regard, reflectance, excitation and emission spectra were recorded. From these, the emission and excitation efficiencies were determined. The relative intensities as well as the splitting patterns of the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F_J transitions in the europium emission spectra are discussed.     

Zwitterionic-type hydrophilic interaction nano-liquid chromatography of complex and high mannose glycans coupled with electrospray ionisation high resolution time of flight mass spectrometry

In this study we describe a new method for rapid and sensitive analysis of reduced high mannose and complex glycans using zwitterionic-type hydrophilic interaction nano-liquid chromatography (nano ZIC-HILIC, 75 μm I.D.×150 mm) coupled with high resolution nanoelectrospray ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (nano ESI-TOF-MS). The retention of neutral glycans increases with increasing molecular weight and is higher for high mannose glycans than for complex-type glycans. The selectivity of ZIC-HILIC for sialylated glycans differs from that for the neutral glycans and is believed to involve electrostatic repulsion; therefore, charged glycans are eluted earlier than neutral glycans with comparable molecular weight. Due to the improved sensitivity achieved by employing a ZIC-HILIC nano-column, a range of less common complex glycans has been studied and the high resolution mass spectrometry enabled confirmation of glycan composition for the proposed structures. Good sensitivity for glycans was achieved without prior fluorescent labelling, and the time of the analysis was significantly reduced compared to the separation of glycans on a conventional-size column. The proposed method offers a fast and sensitive approach for glycan profiling applied to analysis of biopharmaceuticals.     

Identification of inorganic ions in post‐blast explosive residues using portable CE instrumentation and capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection

Novel CE methods have been developed on portable instrumentation adapted to accommodate a capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector for the separation and sensitive detection of inorganic anions and cations in post‐blast explosive residues from homemade inorganic explosive devices. The methods presented combine sensitivity and speed of analysis for the wide range of inorganic ions used in this study. Separate methods were employed for the separation of anions and cations. The anion separation method utilised a low conductivity 70 mM Tris/70 mM CHES aqueous electrolyte (pH 8.6) with a 90 cm capillary coated with hexadimethrine bromide to reverse the EOF. Fifteen anions could be baseline separated in 7 min with detection limits in the range 27–240 μg/L. A selection of ten anions deemed most important in this application could be separated in 45 s on a shorter capillary (30.6 cm) using the same electrolyte. The cation separation method was performed on a 73 cm length of fused‐silica capillary using an electrolyte system composed of 10 mM histidine and 50 mM acetic acid, at pH 4.2. The addition of the complexants, 1 mM hydroxyisobutyric acid and 0.7 mM 18‐crown‐6 ether, enhanced selectivity and allowed the separation of eleven inorganic cations in under 7 min with detection limits in the range 31–240 μg/L. The developed methods were successfully field tested on post‐blast residues obtained from the controlled detonation of homemade explosive devices. Results were verified using ion chromatographic analyses of the same samples.     

Fast ion chromatography using short anion exchange columns

A fast ion chromatographic system is described which uses shorter column lengths and compares various eluent profiles in order to maximise the performance without sacrificing the chromatographic resolution. Both isocratic and gradient elution profiles were considered to find the most efficient mode of separation. The separation and determination of seven target anions (chloride, chlorate, nitrate, chromate, sulfate, thiocyanate and perchlorate) was achieved using a short (4 mm ID, 50 mm long) column packed with Dionex AS20 high-capacity anion exchange material. A hydroxide eluent was used at an initial concentration of 25 mM (at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL/min) and two performance maxima were found. The maximum efficiency occurred at a normalised gradient ramp rate of 5 mM/t₀, resulting in a peak capacity of 16, while the fastest separation (<3 min) occurred at a normalised ramp rate of 30 mM/t₀. The retention time, peak width and resolution using the different eluent profiles on varying column lengths is also compared. Further investigations in this study determined that the highest peak capacity separation under gradient conditions could be approximated using an isocratic separation. The advantage of using this novel approach to approximate the maximum efficiency separation removes the need for column re-equilibration that is required for gradient elution resulting in faster analyses and enhanced sample throughput, with benefits in particular for multidimensional chromatography.     

Use of ionic polymers as stationary and pseudo-stationary phases in the separation of ions by capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography

One of the problems with capillary electrophoresis is a lack of versatility regarding manipulation of the separation selectivity. A new and potentially universal concept is to introduce an ion-exchange component into a separation so that the migration of analyte ions is influenced by both their electrophoretic mobilities and their chromatographic properties. This may be accomplished by use of capillaries filled with or coated with solid ion-exchange polymers, or by addition of a soluble ionic polymer to the background electrolyte to create a pseudo-stationary phase. While each of these methods achieves the same result, they are not competitive, but rather complementary as the problems associated by one approach are overcome by the others. Recent highlights in the field are used to illustrate the flexibility that this approach provides to electrophoretic separation of ions.     

Review of recent advances in the preparation of organic polymer monoliths for liquid chromatography of large molecules

In recent years the use of monolithic polymers in separation science has greatly increased due to the advantages these materials present over particle-based stationary phases, such as their relative ease of preparation and good permeability. For these reasons, these materials present high potential as stationary phases for the separation and purification of large molecules such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and cells. An example of this is the wide range of commercial available polymer-based monolithic columns now present in the market.     

High‐Resolution Separation of Oligo(acrylic acid) by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis

Summary: Oligo(acrylic acid)s, produced by RAFT polymerization, have been separated and analyzed for the first time by capillary zone electrophoresis. The resolution obtained by capillary electrophoresis in borate buffers is far higher than that currently achieved using size exclusion chromatography. This work demonstrates that capillary electrophoresis is the technique of choice for the characterization of oligomers of acrylic acid and of other water‐soluble monomers involved in emulsion polymerization processes.

Electropherograms of different acrylic acid (AA) oligomers obtained by CZE.