On the applicability of the “abt” concept

Kaiser's “abt” concept rests on the experimental establishment of a linear relation between band width at half height, b_0.5, and capacity ratio, k, according to His column specification quantity, h_real, is dependent on the square of the slope a, obtained from a linear regression analysis based on this relation. It is shown in the present paper that an improvement of the experimental conditions leading to a lower extra-column contribution to band broadening, b, introduces a tendency towards a negative curvature in the plot at low k values. The mean slope increases, and an uncritical linear regression would yield an h_real-value which is higher than before and which would be in the opposite direction to the requirements of a reliable column specification. Generally the linear regression analysis has to be moved to higher k regions in cases of curvature, especially as it is also shown that h_real is an estimation of the traditional HETP value, H∞, that would be obtained when k approaches infinity. This theoretically expected relation is a strong motivation for the use of h_real as a column specification, since the b_0.5-value associated with H∞ is expected to be practically independent of b.     

On the extra-column band-broadening contributions of modern, very high pressure liquid chromatographs using 2.1 mm I.D. columns packed with sub-2 μm particles

The efficiencies of two narrow bore columns (100 mm and 50 mm × 2.1 mm) packed with 1.7 μm totally porous BEH-C₁₈ particles were measured on two very high pressure liquid chromatographs (Acquity from Waters and 1290 Infinity HPLC System from Agilent) operating at maximum pressures of 1034 and 1200 bar, respectively. The probe compounds were a mixture of uracil, acetophenone, toluene, and naphthalene eluted in a 50/50 (v/v) solution of acetonitrile and water at 303 K with a flow rate of 0.40 mL/min. The apparent efficiencies of columns, which lumps the consequences of band broadening due to the column and the system contributions, may depend much on the extra-column volumes of the instruments used. Actually, it is known for a long time that the apparent column performance is strongly affected by the instrument characteristics, including the diameter of the connecting tubes, the injection technique (with or without needle seat capillary), and the detection cell volume. When the 1290 Infinity HPLC System is equipped with a needle seat, an inlet and an outlet connecting capillary tube with inner diameters around 115 μm, its extra-column variance for a 0.1 μL injection volume is 9.2 μL² while that of the Acquity instrument is 6.9 μL². Minor modifications suggested by their respective manufacturers allowed significant reductions of these variances, to 6.2 and 3.9 μL², respectively. Yet, in their optimized configurations and for weakly retained compounds (k ? 1), these modern, sophisticated instruments cannot provide more than 75% (1290 Infinity) and 85% (Acquity) of the maximum efficiency of a 2.1 mm × 50 mm BEH column. For more strongly retained compounds (k > 4), in contrast, they are both able to provide more than 95% of the maximum expected efficiency.     

On the optimization of the shell thickness of superficially porous particles

The thickness of the porous shells of superficially porous particles influences the separation power of columns packed with these packing materials. Models of the mass transfer kinetics across porous adsorbents permit the prediction of the HETP curves of columns packed with particles having shells of different thicknesses, for molecules of different sizes. Decreasing the thickness of the porous layer potentially results in lower values of the “C-term” of the HETP curve and of the minimum of these curves. The Poppe plots calculated under isocratic and gradient conditions show that the separation power of columns packed with superficially porous particles increases significantly with decreasing thickness of the porous layer but this increase is more important for larger than for smaller molecules. The resolution between pairs of compounds increases at constant values of their retention factors when the strength of the eluent must be reduced to compensate for the decrease of their retention that is caused by the reduction of the surface area of the stationary phase. Thus, the separation power of columns packed with superficially porous particles increases with decreasing shell thickness. In contrast, if analysts do not compensate for the retention decrease, the resolution between small molecular weight compounds becomes worse with thin than with thick superficially porous particles. Finally, the importance of using instruments providing low extra-column band broadening contributions is stressed.     

Extra-column dispersion of macromolecular solutes in aqueous-phase size-exclusion chromatography

A set of dextran standards was used to study the extra-column dispersion in conventional chromatographic equipment at a broad range of molecular weights, different mobile phase flow rates and connecting tube lengths and diameters. All known correlations for the tube dispersion at laminar flow, including those for short tubes, overestimated the values of the variance of the outlet concentration signal. The difference increased with the solute molecular weight and the flow rate. It was assumed that the discrepancy was due to the effect of natural convection invoked by the density differences of the injected dextran solutions and water. A suitable approximation of the relative band spreading was suggested in a form of a power function of the Reynolds and Schmidt numbers. A significant decrease of the dispersion was observed when the chromatography tubing was coiled into a circle. This decrease was successfully predicted combining the existing correlations for long coiled tubes and short straight tubes.     

Structural variation of solid core and thickness of porous shell of 1.7 μm core-shell silica particles on chromatographic performance: narrow bore columns

Chromatographic and mass transfer kinetic properties of three narrow bore columns (2.1 × 50 mm) packed with new core–shell 1.7 μm EIROSHELL™-C₁₈ (EiS-C₁₈) particles have been studied. The particles in each column varied in the solid-core to shell particle size ratio (ρ), of 0.59, 0.71 and 0.82, with a porous silica shell thickness of 350, 250 and 150 nm respectively. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), Coulter counter analysis, gas pycnometry, nitrogen sorption analysis and inverse size exclusion chromatography (ISEC) elucidated the physical properties of these materials. The porosity measurement of the packed HILIC and C₁₈ modified phases provided the means to estimate the phase ratios of the three different shell columns (EiS-150-C₁₈, EiS-250-C₁₈ and EiS-350-C₁₈). The dependence of the chromatographic performance to the volume fraction of the porous shell was observed for all three columns. The naphtho[2,3-a]pyrene retention factor of k′ ∼ 10 on the three EiS-C_18s employed to obtain the height equivalents to theoretical plates (HETPs) data were achieved by varying the mobile phase compositions and applying the Wilke and Chang relationship to obtain a parallel reduced linear velocity. The Knox fit model gave the coefficient of the reduce HETPs for the three EiS-C_18s. The reduced plate height minimum h_min = 1.9 was achieved for the EiS-150-C₁₈ column, and generated an efficiency of over 350,000 N/m and h_min = 2.5 equivalent to an efficiency of 200,000 N/m for the EiS-350-C₁₈ column. The efficiency loss of the EiS-C18 column emanating from the system extra-column volume was discussed with respect to the porous shell thickness.     

The effect of make-up flow on detector time variance in micro column liquid chromatography

Summary Time variance is better suited than volume variance to compare performances of columns of different diameters but of same length and working at the same linear velocity of the mobile phase. When a make-up flow is used at the detector inlet, only column and detector time variances remain additive. Make-up flow enables reduction of the detector contribution to the total variance. However, in some practical cases, the dispersion effects of the detector inlet tubing or electronic time constant can prevail over that of the flow cell. Owing to their different flow dependence, the decrease in detector variance due to make-up is often much lower than expected. Theoretical equations and curves are given for a rapid evaluation of make-up flow.     

Reliability of the retention factor estimations in liquid chromatography

The retention factor is one of the most universally used parameters in chromatography. However, large differences in the experimental retention factor values are observed when the same compound is injected in a given stationary/mobile phase system under intermediate precision conditions. Conventional protocols for estimating retention factors have problems that mainly arise from difficulties in the hold-up time measurements and the omission of the existence of extra-column times by practicing chromatographers. In the present paper, three different approaches for estimating retention factors are tested: (i) classical retention factor estimations based on the gross hold-up time, (ii) based on the real hold-up time (taking into account the extra-column time), and (iii) a new approach that uses 'relative' retention factors based on the use of an external standard. Assays are performed in micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) under intermediate precision conditions (different days, equipments, columns lengths, and mobile phase flow rates). The reliability of the three approaches tested is evaluated by means of precision studies, analysis of factors affecting retention factors, and uncertainty calculations. The approach based on 'relative' retention factors was found to be the most precise, reliable, and robust strategy for estimating retention factors.     

Achieving the full performance of highly efficient columns by optimizing conventional benchmark high-performance liquid chromatography instruments

A series of experiments and measurements demonstrate the importance of minimizing the extra-column band broadening contribution of the instrument used. The combination of several measures allowed the achievement of the full potential efficiency of three Kinetex-C₁₈ columns, using a conventional liquid chromatograph. The first measure consists in minimizing the extra-column volume of the instrument, without increasing much its back pressure contribution, by changing the needle seat volume, the inner diameter and length of the capillary connectors, and the volume of the detector cell of a standard instrument (Agilent 1100). The second measure consists in injecting a volume of weak eluent (less than half the elution strength of the mobile phase) right after the sample, before the sample had time to reach the column. Experimental results show that these changes could provide most of the resolution expected from the true column performance. After the changes were made, the resolutions of the 2.1 mm ×$\times$ 50 mm, 4.6 mm ×$\times$ 50 mm, and 4.6 mm ×$\times$ 100 mm Kinetex-C₁₈ columns for compounds having retention factors close to 1 were increased by about 180, 35, and 30%, respectively. The resolutions obtained are then similar to those measured with advanced instruments like the Agilent 1200, the Agilent 1290 Infinity HPLC, and the Acquity chromatographs.