Studies on azaspiracid biotoxins. I. Ultrafast high-resolution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry separations using monolithic columns

In this study, the performance of monolithic columns was evaluated for ultrafast liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analyses and for high-resolution separations of several azaspiracid biotoxin analogs. Because of their high permeability, monolithic columns offer a number of advantages over conventional packed columns; viz., very low backpressures and relatively flat van Deemter curves at high flow rates. That is, very high flow rates can be used for ultrafast analyses or, by using longer than normal columns, high-resolution separations are possible. In a series of experiments, we varied the mobile phase flow rates between 1 and 8 mL/min, and studied their impact on chromatographic parameters such as retention time, resolution, number of plates and pressure. The chromatographic run times could be reduced to ca. 30 s without a significant change in the separation efficiency. A signal intensity comparison revealed interesting differences between atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) in their flow-rate dependency. An explanation with respect to the behavior as of a mass-flow or a concentration-dependent device is given in the paper. Additionally, the column length was varied between 10 and 70 cm. As a result, the number of theoretical plates increased substantially. In the example shown in the report, an increase from 13 000 plates for a 10-cm column to 80 000 for a 70-cm column is demonstrated. In addition, the potential of the monolithic columns for high-resolution LC/MS separations is shown for a complex biotoxin mixture, which was separated on a 40-cm-long column.