Revisiting shape selectivity in liquid chromatography for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – six-ring and seven-ring Cata-condensed PAH isomers of molecular mass 328 Da and 378 Da

Abstract

The relationship of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) retention on a polymeric C18 stationary phase and the shape of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was investigated for three-ring to seven-ring cata-condensed isomers. We report the first RPLC separation for six-ring and seven-ring cata-condensed PAH isomers. Correlations of LC retention and shape parameters (length-to-breath ratio, L/B and thickness, T) were investigated for 2 three-ring isomers (molecular mass 178Da), 5 four-ring isomers (molecular mass 228Da), 11 five-ring isomers (molecular mass 278Da), 17 six-ring isomers (molecular mass 328Da), and 20 seven-ring isomers (molecular mass 378Da). Significant linear correlations were found for all isomer groups (r=0.71 to 0.94). Nonplanarity of the PAH isomers was found to influence retention (i.e., nonplanar isomers eluting earlier than expected based on L/B) and linear correlations of retention vs. T for isomer groups containing nonplanar isomers were significant (r=0.71 to 0.86). Graphical abstract.