Sorption characteristics ofN-alkylimidazoles under conditions of capillary chromatography

The retention indices forN-n-alkyl (C₁-C₅) substituted imidazoles with Me, Et, Pr, and Bu groups in different positions of the cycle were determined. Two capillary columns with OV-101/KF and PEG-40M/KF were used. The two nitrogen atoms of the imidazole molecule were shown to have different effects on the contributions of the alkyl groups to the retention indices. The maximum and minimum contributions are observed for the substituents at the 5 and 4 positions of the imidazole cycle, respectively. An increase in a size of the C_mH_2m+1 substituent attached to the N(1) atom has a notable effect only on the contributions of the alkyl groups at the 2 and 5 positions. The retention indices values for a homologous series with ann-alkyl group attached to the N or C(2) atom were described by a universal type equation. The obtained equations can be used for predicting the retention indices of new homologs and identification ofN-alkylimidazoles in complex mixtures.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 309–313, February, 1995.