Solvation of the N-(1-Phenylethyl)-N'-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]-urea chiral stationary phase in mixed alcohol/water solvents

A theoretical and experimental study of alcohol/water and alcohol/alcohol solvent mixtures near a surface of N-(1-phenylethyl)-N'-3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]-urea (PEPU), a Pirkle-type chiral stationary phase, is presented. Molecular dynamics simulations are performed at room temperature for water/methanol, water/1-propanol, water/2-propanol, and methanol/1-propanol solvent mixtures confined between two PEPU surfaces. The interface was also prepared experimentally by attaching the PEPU molecules to atomic force microscopy tips and oxidized Si(111) substrates. Chemical force spectrometric measurements between such PEPU-terminated tips and samples were taken in the solvent mixtures, and the results are compared to the molecular dynamics study. We find that the extent of hydrogen bonding at the surface is the dominant contributor to the measured forces.