High-performance liquid chromatography of biphenols and bis (hydroxyphenyl) propanes (dianes) with voltammetric and UV photometric detection

Summary The retention behaviour of mono- and dihydroxy derivatives of biphenol and bis(hydroxyphenyl)propanes was studied on chemically bonded C-18, CN-, phenyl, phenoxypropyl- and NH₂ stationary phases and on silica gel. The effects of the mobile phase, i.e., of the methanol content, the ionic strength, pH and the contents of cationic and anionic ion-pairing agents on the retention data were investigated. In the reversed-phase systems, all the substances are satisfactorily separated except for 3- and 4-hydroxybiphenyl; these isomers can be separated on silica gel, using a mixture of heptane and propanol as the mobile phase. Sodium dodecylsulphate, present at concentrations higher than the critical micelle concentration (about 10⁻² M, depending on the methanol content), causes a decrease in the retention times and an improvement in the separation. UV absorption spectra, calibration curves and the detection limit values were obtained at two wavelengths and at various salt concentrations in the mobile phase. Hydrodynamic voltammograms of the solutes were measured in a carbon fibre detector and the calibration curves and detection limit values were measured at the optimal voltage (+1.2 V/Ag/AgCl) as a function of the mobile phase composition. For most test substances voltammetric detection is two to three times more sensitive than UV detection. The combination of a UV and a voltammetric detector in series has been utilized to identify the products of microbial degradation of biphenyl.