Pamela C. Iraneta

Dependence of cyano bonded phase hydrolytic stability on ligand structure and solution pH.

As part of our program to develop more stable cyano (CN) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column packings, we have evaluated hydrolytic stability as a function of ligand connectivity, chain length, and side group steric protection and the pH of the mobile phase. Three accelerated tests were used to evaluate stability: (1) A non-HPLC screening test measuring carbon loss in refluxing MeOH-100 mM KH2PO4 pH 4.5 (1:1, v/v) solution; (2) a continuous flow HPLC test measuring capacity factor maintenance in 1% trifluoroacetic acid in water (pH 1.02) at 80 degrees C; and (3) a continuous flow HPLC test measuring column efficiency maintenance in 50 mM triethylamine in water (pH 10.00) at 50 degrees C. The stability of the CN phases was found to be dependent on both ligand chemical structure and the pH of the test conditions. The starting screen test of intermediate pH was least able to differentiate the CN phases based on structure, because two different degradation mechanisms appear to offset each other (acid induced siloxane bond cleavage vs. base induced silica dissolution). A trifunctional and a sterically protected CN phase were notably stable under the acidic test conditions, but had poor stability under basic conditions. Conversely, chain extension afforded poor stability under acidic conditions, but did afford improved stability at higher pH. In total, the data indicate that good CN column stability can be achieved by using a trifunctional or a sterically protected phase in acidic mobile phases. However, as mobile phases of intermediate or higher pH are employed, shorter column lifetimes can be expected due to an accelerated dissolution of the underlying silica substrate. Materials were also compared chromatographically using a mixture of non-polar, polar, and basic analytes under reversed-phase conditions.

A scaling rule in supercritical fluid chromatography. I. Theory for isocratic systems.

Scaling is regularly done in chromatography either to transfer a successfully designed method of analysis developed in one system to another system, or to scale-up a separation method developed in analytical scale to preparative scale. For liquid chromatography there are well-tested guidelines for scaling, which makes it a routine job. For supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), on the other hand, neither do we have any well-understood principles behind scaling nor do we know how far the strategies applied in LC could be applicable to SFC. In this article, we have addressed these issues and proposed a rule applicable for scaling isocratic methods between different SFC systems and column dimensions under commonly used operating temperatures and pressures. We have shown that the scale-up and method transfer techniques used in LC can be applied to SFC, provided we ensure that both the original and the target systems in SFC operate at the same average density. The current article will present the theory, discuss the extents of applicability of this rule, and outline its limitations. In an accompanying article implementation of this rule in various practical situations will be presented.

Functionalization of divinylbenzene/N-vinylpyrrolidone copolymer particles: ion exchangers for solid phase extraction.

A series of four-mixed mode ion exchangers for SPE, consisting of either weak or strong cation or anion exchangers, have been synthesized by functionalization of spherical, porous particles made from a copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and divinylbenzene. These materials are able to selectively retain and release acidic and basic solutes through the judicious choice of wash solvent pH, as shown through the use of SPE recovery tests.

High-resolution peptide mapping separations with MS-friendly mobile phases and charge-surface-modified C18.

Ionic analytes, such as peptides, can be challenging to separate by reverse-phase chromatography with optimal efficiency. They tend, for instance, to exhibit poor peak shapes, particularly when eluted with mobile phases preferred for electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. We demonstrate that a novel charged-surface C18 stationary phase alleviates some of the challenges associated with reverse-phase peptide separations. This column chemistry, known as CSH (charged-surface hybrid) C18, improves upon an already robust organosilica hybrid stationary phase, BEH (ethylene-bridged hybrid) C18. Based on separations of a nine-peptide standard, CSH C18 was found to exhibit improved loadability, greater peak capacities, and unique selectivity compared to BEH C18. Its performance was also seen to be significantly less dependent on TFA-ion pairing, making it ideal for MS applications where high sensitivity is desired. These performance advantages were evaluated through application to peptide mapping, wherein CSH C18 was found to aid the development of a high-resolution, high-sensitivity LC-UV-MS peptide mapping method for the therapeutic antibody, trastuzumab. From these results, the use of a C18 stationary phase with a charged surface, such as CSH C18, holds significant promise for facilitating challenging peptide analyses.

Estimations of temperature deviations in chromatographic columns using isenthalpic plots. I. Theory for isocratic systems.

We propose to use constant enthalpy or isenthalpic diagrams as a tool to estimate the extent of the temperature variations caused by the mobile phase pressure drop along a chromatographic column, e.g. of its cooling in supercritical fluid and its heating in ultra-performance liquid chromatography. Temperature strongly affects chromatographic phenomena. Any of its variations inside the column, whether intended or not, can lead to significant changes in separation performance. Although instruments use column ovens in order to keep constant the column temperature, operating conditions leading to a high pressure drop may cause significant variations of the column temperature, both in the axial and the radial directions, from the set value. Different ways of measuring these temperature variations are available but they are too inconvenient to be employed in many practical situations. In contrast, the thermodynamic plot-based method that we describe here can easily be used with only a ruler and a pencil. They should be helpful in developing methods or in analyzing results in analytical laboratories. Although the most effective application area for this approach should be SFC (supercritical fluid chromatography), it can be applied to any chromatographic conditions in which temperature variations take place along the column due to the pressure drop, e.g. in ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The method proposed here is applicable to isocractic conditions only.

Adsorption of cations onto positively charged surface mesopores.

Uwe Neue developed a theoretical treatment to account for the adsorption of ions on mesopores of packing materials the walls of which are bonded to ionic ligands but left this work unfinished. We elaborated upon this treatment and refined it, based on the equivalence that he suggested between charged surface particles and a membrane that separates two ionic solutions but is impermeable to one specification. He had written that the electro-chemical potentials in both ionic solutions are equal (Donnan equilibrium). The equilibrium between the surface and the pore concentrations is accounted for by an homogeneous electrostatically modified Langmuir (EML) isotherm model. The theoretical results are presented for four different charge surface concentrations σ0=0, 0.001, 0.002, and 0.003C/m(2), using a phosphate buffer (W(S)pH=2.65) of ionic strength I=10mM. The average pore size, the specific surface area, and the specific pore volume of the stationary phase were Dp=140Å, Sp=182m(2)/g, and Vp=0.70cm(3)/g, respectively. The theoretical results provide the quantitative difference between the ionic strength, the pH, and the concentrations of all the ions in the pores and in the bulk eluent. The theory predicts (1) that the retention times of cations under linear conditions is lower and (2) that their band widths under overloaded conditions for a given retention factor shrinks when the surface charge density σ0 is increased. These theoretical results are in good agreement with experimental results published previously and explain them.

Influence of pressure on the retention of sugars in hydrophilic interaction chromatography

Pressure can influence the retention of analytes in hydrophilic interaction chromatography as well as in RP chromatography. We demonstrate that the retention of sugars in hydrophilic interaction chromatography decreases with pressure, and interpret the observation as a gain in solvation, or more specifically hydration, as the sugar molecules enter the water-rich stationary phase.

3 HPLC columns and packings

Abstract In this chapter on HPLC columns, we are discussing both the surface chemistry of a packing as well as column design and performance. In the section that covers column chemistry, we cover modern options of base materials as well as the commonly used approaches towards the surface chemistry of a packing. Specific subsections are dedicated to the selectivity of reversed-phase packings, HILIC, monolithic structures, and the reproducibility of modern packings. In the section on speed and resolution, we familiarize the reader with the principles of how to choose a column. In the section on specialty columns, we cover briefly preparative chromatography and columns with a very small diameter.

4 – HPLC Columns for Pharmaceutical Analysis

This chapter deals with the properties of high-pressure liquid chromatography columns. It is divided into two sections: column physics and column chemistry. In the section on column physics, we discuss the properties that influence column performance, such as particle size, column length and column diameter, together with the effect of instrumentation on the quality of a separation. In the section on column chemistry, we examine in depth the surfaces of modern packings, as well as the newer developments such as zirconia-based packings, hybrid packings or monoliths. We have also included a short section on hydrophilic interaction chromatography, a technique for the analysis of polar compounds that is drawing interest again in the pharmaceutical industry. Finally, we review what is currently understood about the selectivity of reversed-phase columns.