Glycine-based polymeric surfactants with varied polar head group: II. chemical selectivity in micellar electrokinetic chromatography using linear solvation energy relationships

A series of four acyl and four alkenoxy glycinates (i.e., mono-, di-, tri-, and tetraderivatives of polysodium N-undecenoyl glycinate (poly-SUGs) as well as polysodium N-undecenoxy carbonyl glycinates (poly-SUCGs)) were compared for simultaneous separation of nonhydrogen bonding (NHB), hydrogen-bond acceptor (HBA), and hydrogen-bond donor (HBD) solutes. An increase in the number of glycine units in the polar head group of polymeric surfactant decreases both the retention and the migration window of all solutes with some changes in separation selectivity. The poly(sodium N-undecenoxy carbonyl-glycinate) (poly-SUCG1) with one glycine unit was the least polar surfactant and has the lowest phase ratio, but this monoglycinate surfactant provided the best simultaneous separation of 10-NHBs and 8-HBAs. On the other hand, 9-HBDs were well separated using any of the six mono-, di-, and triglycinate surfactants compared to the two tetraglycinates. Linear solvation energy relationships (LSERs) and separation of the geometrical isomers studies were also performed to further envisage the selectivity differences. From LSER studies, the phase ratio and hydrogen-bond-donating strength of the poly-SUG series of surfactant were found to increase with an increase in the size of the head group, but no clear trends were observed for poly-SUCG surfactants. The cohesiveness for all poly-SUG and poly-SUCG was positive, but the values were generally lower (with exception of the poly(sodium N-undecenoyl glycyl-glycyl-glycinate)) at a higher number of glycine units. Finally, the poly(sodium N-undecenoyl glycinate) and poly-SUCG1 were found to be the two best polymeric surfactants as they provided relatively higher shape selectivity for separation of two of the three sets of geometrical isomers.