Anizio M. Faria

State-of-the-art in immobilized polymer stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography

O aumento da estabilidade quimica e a reducao da alta atividade de grupos residuais tem sido, nas ultimas quatro decadas, os principais focos de pesquisas na preparacao de fases estacionarias para cromatografia liquida de alta eficiencia na modalidade de fase reversa (CLAE-FR). Novas e eficientes estrategias de modificacao da superficie da silica e a introducao de novos materiais como suportes cromatograficos tem minimizado estas limitacoes e possibilitado uma crescente popularizacao da CLAE-FR. Neste trabalho sera apresentada uma visao geral do estado da arte de uma das estrategias de preparo de fases estacionarias que vem contornando tais limitacoes da CLAE-FR; as fases estacionarias baseadas na imobilizacao de polimeros orgânicos pre-sintetizados sobre particulas de silica e silica metalizada (zirconizada e titanizada). Uma consideracao especial sera dada ao desenvolvimento destas fases estacionarias ocorrido no Brasil nos ultimos 15 anos.

Determination of β-artemether and its main metabolite dihydroartemisinin in plasma employing liquid-phase microextraction prior to liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric analysis

A method for the determination of artemether (ART) and its main metabolite dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in plasma employing liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) for sample preparation prior to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) was developed. The analytes were extracted from 1mL of plasma utilizing a two-phase LPME procedure with artemisinin as internal standard. Using the optimized LPME conditions, mean absolute recovery rates of 25 and 32% for DHA and ART, respectively, were achieved using toluene-n-octanol (1:1, v/v) as organic phase with an extraction time of 30min. After extraction, the analytes were resolved within 5min using a mobile phase consisting of methanol-ammonium acetate (10mmolL(-1), pH 5.0, 80:20, v/v) on a laboratory-made column based on poly(methyltetradecylsiloxane) attached to a zirconized-silica support. MS-MS detection was employed using an electrospray interface in the positive ion mode. The method developed was linear over the range of 5-1000ngmL(-1) for both analytes. Precision and accuracy were within acceptable levels of confidence (<15%). The assay was applied to the determination of these analytes in plasma from rats treated with ART. The two-phase LPME procedure is affordable and the solvent consumption was very low compared to the traditional methods of sample preparation.

The Search for More pH Stable Stationary Phases for High Performance Liquid Chromatography

High performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separations are largely carried out using reversed phase conditions with stationary phases based on silica. A serious problem with these stationary phases is the tendency of silica to dissolve in high pH solutions often needed to separate basic compounds. The literature reports many different ways that have been tried to resolve this problem. This paper reports the results obtained in our laboratory with stationary phases prepared using silica supports having a layer of a metal oxide (zirconia or titania) attached on their surfaces, followed by immobilization of a polysiloxane or by organofunctionalization with a trimethoxyalkylsilane. Stability tests, also developed in our laboratory, indicate that the metal oxide layer increases the HPLC column lifetimes by making the stationary phase less susceptible to dissolution.

Fases estacionárias monolíticas para separações cromatográficas

Monolithic stationary phases represent a new generation of chromatographic separation media. These phases consist of a continuous separation bed prepared by in situ polymerization or consolidation inside the column tubing. In recent years, their simple preparation procedure, unique properties and excellent performance have attracted quite remarkable attention in liquid chromatography and capillary electrochromatography. This review summarizes the preparation, characterization and applications of monolithic stationary phases. The analytical potential of these columns is demonstrated with separations involving various families of compounds in different separation modes.

Electropolymerized supramolecular tetraruthenated porphyrins applied as a voltammetric sensor

Porphyrin 5,10,15,20-Tetra(4-pyridyl)manganese(III), [Mn-TPyP(H2O)2]PF6, and electropolymerized supramolecular porphyrins (ESP), {Mn-TPyP(H2O)2[RuCl3(dppb)]4}PF6 (dppb = 1,4-bis(diphenilphosphine)butane), were synthesized and characterized. A thin solid film of ESP was obtained on a glass carbon electrode surface by a cyclic voltammetry method. The peak current increased with the number of voltammetric cycles, which shows a typical behavior of the species being adsorbed on the surface of the electrode. Cyclic voltammetry was also employed for acetaminophen quantification using an ESP modified electrode. The modified electrode shows a linear relationship between the anodic peak current and the concentration of acetaminophen (in the rage 0.05 to 0.7 mmol L - 1). The performance of the modified electrode was verified by the determination of acetaminophen in a commercial pharmaceutical product and the results were in good agreement with those obtained by a control HPLC method.

Development of a polymer-coated stationary phase with improved chemical stability in alkaline mobile phases.

An endcapped stationary phase is prepared by thermal immobilization of poly(methyltetradecylsiloxane) (PMTDS) onto a doubly zirconized silica support followed by endcapping using a mixture of hexamethyldisilazane and trimethylchlorosilane. The preparation of the Si-Zr(PMTDS)ec phase shows good repeatability with RSD <3.0% for carbon loadings and column efficiency. This new stationary phase has a lower density of residual hydroxyl groups, according to spectroscopic methods while basic compounds from the Tanaka and Engelhardt test mixtures are eluted with essentially symmetric peaks. Furthermore, the stability of the Si-Zr(PMTDS)ec stationary phase, measured using an accelerated aging test, is twice as great as the stability of a similar nonendcapped phase. The new phase shows promise for the separation of basic pharmaceuticals.

Synthesis and characterization of a novel stationary phase, Si-Zr/Ti(PMTDS), based upon ternary oxide support for high performance liquid chromatography

A new stationary phase based on the thermal immobilization of poly(methyltetradecylsiloxane) (PMTDS) on silica particles coated with a mixture of zirconia and titania was prepared and evaluated for the chromatographic separation of test mixtures. The spherical particles were characterized by elemental analysis, SEM, FTIR and 29Si NMR. The physicochemical properties of PMTDS phase supported on Si-Zr/Ti were intermediate between PMTDS phases supported on titanized silica and zirconized silica. The chromatographic performance of Si-Zr/Ti(PMTDS) phase was similar to PMTDS phases based on metal oxide coated silica having only one metal oxide and the preparation of a Si-Zr/Ti(PMTDS) phase allowed evaluation of the effect of each oxide, zirconia and titania, on the separation process and on the stability of the immobilized polymer phase. The hydrolytic stability of Si-Zr/Ti(PMTDS) stationary phase was similar to the Si-Ti(PMTDS) phase, improving the chemical stability of the silica-based PMTDS phase by about 100%.

Preparation and Characterization of Cellulose Triacetate as Support for Lecitase Ultra Immobilization

The use of polymers as supports for enzyme immobilization is a strategy that enables to remove the enzymes from a chemical reaction and improve their efficiency in catalytic processes. In this work, cellulose triacetate (CTA) was used for physical adsorption of phospholipase Lecitase ultra (LU). CTA is more hydrophobic than cellulose, shows good performance in the lipases immobilization being a good candidate for immobilization of phospholipases. We investigated the immobilization of LU in CTA, the stability of the immobilized enzyme (CTA-LU) and the performance of CTA-LU using soybean oil as a substrate. LU was efficiently immobilized in CTA reaching 97.1% in 60 min of contact with an enzymatic activity of 975.8 U·g−1. The CTA-LU system presents good thermal stability, being superior of the free enzyme and increase of the catalytic activity in the whole range of pH values. The difference observed for immobilized enzyme compared to free one occurs because of the interaction between the enzyme and the polymer, which stabilizes the enzyme. The CTA-LU system was used in the transesterification of soybean oil with methanol, with the production of fatty acid methyl esters. The results showed that CTA-LU is a promising system for enzymatic reactions.

NOVO SORVENTE DE HIDROFOBICIDADE REDUZIDA PARA EXTRAÇÃO EM FASE SÓLIDA: PREPARAÇÃO E CARACTERIZAÇÃO

C18 chemically bonded sorbents have been the main materials used in solid phase extraction (SPE). However, due their high hydrophobicity some hydrophobic solutes are strongly retained leading to the consumption of larger quantities of organic solvent for efficient recoveries. This work presents a sorbent with lower hydrophobicity but similar selectivity to the C18 sorbent, prepared by thermal immobilization of poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-alkylmethylsiloxane) (PDAS) on silica. PDAS has organic chains with methyl groups alternating with octadecyl or hexadecyl groups in its monomeric unities. For the Si(PDAS) sorbent presented, the polymeric layer was physically adsorbed on the silica surface with 12% carbon load. Although the coating of silica with the polymeric layer was incomplete, the PDAS provided better protection for the silica surface groups, promoting mostly hydrophobic interactions between analytes and the sorbent. Sorption isotherm studies revealed that the retention of hydrophobic solutes on Si(PDAS) was less intense than on conventional sorbents, confirming the lower hydrophobicity of the lab-made sorbent. Additional advantages of Si(PDAS) include simplicity and low cost of preparation, making this material a potential sorbent for the analysis of highly hydrophobic solutes.

Polyethyleneimine Immobilized on Silica Endcapped with Octadecyl Groups as a Stationary Phase for RP-LC

A new reversed stationary phase was prepared, based on thermal immobilization of trimethoxysilylpropyl modified polyethyleneimine onto silica particles endcapped with octadecyl molecules. The physicochemical and morphological properties of the stationary phase were characterized by solid state cross-polarization and magic angle spinning 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy, porosimetry, and elemental analysis. For the studies on reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) retention, separation of the established Tanaka and Engelhardt test mixtures was performed. The stationary phase showed a typical partition mechanism for the reversed phase; however, the low hydrophobicity required a low organic content solvent in the mobile phase for chromatographic separation of more hydrophobic compounds. The stationary phase also showed low residual silanol activity for the elution of basic compounds due to the protection offered by octadecyl endcapped molecules and the competition provided by the imine groups of the polymeric layer. The proposed stationary phase possesses interesting selectivity and is convenient for applications requiring the separation of more retentive compounds in conventional HPLC columns using more aqueous mobile phases.