Excellent Chromatographic Performance Research Articles

Surface molecularly imprinted polymer/covalent organic framework/silica composite material with specific recognition ability and excellent chromatographic performance

Facing with the difficulty of specific chromatographic separation of nucleoside drugs, this study prepared a surface molecularly imprinted polymer (SMIP) modified covalent organic framework (COF) coated silica stationary phase based on the specificity of molecular imprinting technology and the powerful chromatographic separation performance of COF. This novel SMIP-COF@SiO2 stationary phase can not only specifically identify template molecule and structural analogs, but can also be used to separate multiple types of analytes, such as B vitamins, sulfonamides, alkylbenzenes, phenyl ketones, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and environmental endocrine disruptors, which satisfies the need for complex sample separation. Various retention mechanisms have been investigated and multiple interactions between the SMIP- COF@SiO2 stationary phase and the analytes are discovered. The chromatographic performance of SMIP-COF@SiO2 is far superior to that of the SMIP@SiO2 and COF@SiO2. Furthermore, the SMIP-COF@SiO2 stationary phase can be successfully used to analyze polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the environmental water sample and detect whitening ingredient in skincare product, indicating its great potential for application in various fields.

A stationary phase with a positively charged surface allows for minimizing formic acid concentration in the mobile phase, enhancing electrospray ionization in LC-MS proteomic experiments.

The default choice of mobile phase acidifier for bottom-up LC-MS proteomic analyses is 0.10% formic acid because of its decent acidity, decent ion pairing ability, and low suppression of electrospray ionization. In recent years, state-of-the-art columns have been designed specifically to provide efficient separation even when using an MS-friendly mobile phase of low ionic strength. Despite this, no attempts have been made to improve the sensitivity of the MS-based analytical methods by reducing the amount of formic acid in the mobile phase. In this study, we evaluated the effect of reduced formic acid concentration in the mobile phase on the chromatographic behavior and MS response of peptides when separated using columns packed with a C18 stationary phase with a positively charged surface. Using 0.01% formic acid in the mobile phase maintained excellent chromatographic performance and increased MS signal response compared to the standard of 0.10%. The enhanced MS response translated to about 50% improved peptide identifications depending on the complexity and amount of sample injected. The increased retention of peptides at a reduced formic acid concentration was directly proportional to the number of acidic residues in the peptide sequence. The study was carried out by covering a spectrum of protein samples with varied complexity using analytical flow, micro-, and nanoflow regimes to expand the applicability in routine practice.

Porous layer open tubular nano liquid chromatography directly coupled to electron ionization mass spectrometry

A 25 µm i.d x 1.2 m length PS-DVB porous layer open tubular column (PLOT) was prepared and assessed in the configuration of a nano liquid chromatography coupled to an electron ionization mass spectrometry system (OT-nanoLC-EI-Ms), via the direct insertion of the column outlet into the ionization source. The developed system's operational parameters were comprehensively studied, and the setup performance was investigated employing both unidimensional and column switching configurations. As a result, the OT-nanoLC-EI-MS system demonstrated competitive applicability in separating non-amenable ESI compounds, such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and non-amenable GC compounds such as thermolabile pesticides. Furthermore, with excellent chromatographic performance, the PLOT columns can work under more compatible EI-detection conditions — such as the elution with 100% organic solvent. For example, PAHs retention factors ranged between 1.5 and 2.2 for 100% MeCN mobile phase, and more than 33,000 plates per meter for naphthalene at 50 nL/min flow rate. In analyzing thermolabile pesticides, the column switching PLOT-nanoLC-EI-MS system provided LODs of 25 µg/L, demonstrating suitable intra e interday reproducibility (% RSD < 13%, n = 3), and possibilities the direct injection of raw samples with suitable robustness.

Development and evaluation of a hydrogenated rosin (β-acryloxyl ethyl) ester–bonded silica stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography separation of paclitaxel from yew bark

Paclitaxel (PTX) is a complex diterpenoid anticancer drug whose separation from yew biomass poses a significant challenge. In this study, a new stationary phase comprising hydrogenated rosin (β-acryloxyl ethyl) ester (HRE)–bonded silica (HRE@SiO2) is developed to separate and purify PTX from crude yew-bark extract using high-performance liquid chromatography. In HRE@SiO2, HRE molecules, which are functional ligands, are bonded to the surface of a silica gel matrix using a coupling agent, (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane. The proposed HRE@SiO2 stationary phase was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, laser diffraction granulometry, and nitrogen gas adsorption. The HRE@SiO2 column exhibited excellent chromatographic performance, satisfactory performance reproducibility, and typical reversed-phase chromatographic behavior. An HRE@SiO2 column was used to separate PTX and its analogs, achieving resolutions exceeding 7.43 for consecutively eluted species. Stoichiometric displacement theory for retention (SDT-R), the van Deemter equation, and van 't Hoff plots were used to analyze the separation mechanism and properties of the HRE@SiO2 column. The results showed that hydrophobic interactions determine the analyte retention and the separation of PTX and its analogs on an HRE@SiO2 column is an exothermic process driven by enthalpy. Furthermore, an HRE@SiO2 column was employed to separate and purify PTX from crude yew-bark extract, increasing PTX purity from 6% to 82%. The findings of this study provide insights for developing rosin-based stationary phases for the separation of natural products.

Comprehensive online multicolumn two-dimensional liquid chromatography-diode array detection-mass spectrometry workflow as a framework for chromatographic screening and analysis of new drug substances.

The analysis of complex mixtures of closely related species is quickly becoming a bottleneck in the development of new drug substances, reflecting the ever-increasing complexity of both fundamental biology and the therapeutics used to treat disease. Two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) is emerging as a powerful tool to achieve substantial improvements in peak capacity and selectivity. However, 2D-LC suffers from several limitations, including the lack of automated multicolumn setups capable of combining multiple columns in both dimensions. Herein, we report an investigation into the development and implementation of a customized online comprehensive multicolumn 2D-LC-DAD-MS setup for screening and method development purposes, as well as analysis of multicomponent biopharmaceutical mixtures. In this study, excellent chromatographic performance in terms of selectivity, peak shape, and reproducibility were achieved by combining reversed-phase (RP), strong cation exchange (SCX), strong anion exchange (SAX), and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) using sub-2-μm columns in the first dimension in conjunction with several 3.0mm × 50mm RP columns packed with sub-3-μm fully porous particles in the second dimension. Multiple combinations of separation modes coupled to UV and MS detection are applied to the LC×LC analysis of a protein standard mixture, intended to be representative of protein drug substances. The results reported in this study demonstrate that our automated online multicolumn 2D-LC-DAD-MS workflow can be a powerful tool for comprehensive chromatographic column screening that enables the semi-automated development of 2D-LC methods, offering the ability to streamline full visualization of sample composition for an unknown complex mixture while maximizing chromatographic orthogonality. Graphical Abstract.

A new strategy for the preparation of mixed-mode chromatographic stationary phases based on modified dialdehyde cellulose

A new strategy for the preparation of mixed-mode chromatographic stationary phases based on modified dialdehyde cellulose was proposed. Two novel mixed-mode chromatographic stationary phases, dicarboxyl cellulose-modified silica (DCC/SiO2) and (S)-α-phenylethylamine-bonded DCC/SiO2 ((S)-α-PEA/DCC/SiO2), were prepared by utilizing the easy functionalization characteristics of dialdehyde cellulose. The chromatographic evaluation showed that DCC/SiO2 column could be used in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and ion exchange chromatography (IEC) modes, (S)-α-PEA/DCC/SiO2 column could be used in HILIC, IEC and chiral separation modes. The DCC/SiO2 column and (S)-α-PEA/DCC/SiO2 column exhibited excellent chromatographic performance by separating strongly polar compounds, phenylamines and chiral compounds in the above separation modes. The preparation method of modified dialdehyde cellulose-based mixed-mode chromatographic stationary phases was simple, and also provided a new idea for the development of the subsequent novel mixed-mode chromatographic stationary phases.

Development and Application of a New QuEChERS Method in UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS to Detect Seven Biogenic Amines in Chinese Wines.

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an improved, simple, and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of seven types (cadaverine, CAD; hexylamine, HEX; histamine, HIS; phenylethylamine, PEA; putrescine, PUT; tyramine, TYR) of biogenic amines (BAs) in wine matrices. For this reason, a modified QuEChERS combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS) method was investigated. The optimization of UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS separation and QuEChERS procedure was performed. Under optimum conditions, the excellent chromatographic performance of the whole separation was accomplished within 6.3 min analyzing time. Meanwhile, the recoveries ranged from 77.2% to 101.7%, while relative standard deviation (RSD) remained between 0.0% and 9.4%. The limit of detection (LOD, 0.50–1.00 µg/L) and the limit of quantification (LOQ, 1.65–3.30 µg/L) were lower than those permitted by legislation in food matrices, which demonstrated the high sensitivity and applicability of this efficient method. This validated method was also applied in a pilot study to analyze BAs in 81 wine samples from Hexi Corridor Region (Gansu Province, Northwest China), CAD, HEX, HIS, PEA, PUT, and TYR were detected to varying degrees in the samples. However, when compared with the existing standards, the BAs in all 81 wine samples did not exceed the prescribed limit value or toxic dose (2–40 mg/L). Moreover, a statistical approach was also conducted using Pearson correlation analysis, and to evaluate their concentrations in terms of wine parameters (storage time, grape variety, wine type, and basic physicochemical index). The results showed that, among the seven kinds of BAs, the concentration of HIS had a certain correlation with alcoholic degree and grape variety. In addition, the level of PEA had a certain correlation with the wine pH and wine storage time. It is worth noting that this seems to be the first report regarding the application of QuEChERS-UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS in the analysis of BAs in wine in this region.

A fully derivatized 4-chlorophenylcarbamate-β-cyclodextrin bonded chiral stationary phase for enhanced enantioseparation in HPLC

This paper reports an effective approach for the fabrication of a per-4-chlorophenylcarbamate-β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) bonded chiral stationary phase (CPCDP) in high-performance liquid chromatography. The morphology and structure of the ligand and the chiral stationary phase (CSP) were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, solid state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, fourier transform infrared spectra, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. Because CPCDP was a kind of multimode enantioseparation materials, the enantioseparation of chiral compounds including twelve azole antifungal agents, five proton pump inhibitors and five dihydropyridine calcium antagonists were studied in both reversed-phase and normal-phase chromatography. All analytes were obtained enantiomeric separation. Especially, the resolution of azoles was excellent. The selectivity and resolution of voriconazole reached 15.41 and 16.80, which was an exciting achievement for the enantioseparations by β-CD based chiral stationary phases. Compared with the commercial 3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamate-β-CD based chiral stationary phase (DMP), enhanced enantioselectivities for all the above compounds (except ilaprazole) were obtained on CPCDP column, which indicated that the 4-chlorophenylcarbamate group was conducive to the chiral recognition. Chromatographic studies elucidated that enhancement of analyte–chiral substrate interactions were attributed to the inclusion complexation, π–π stacking interaction, hydrogen-bonding, dipole–dipole interaction and steric hindrance. For further study, we also prepared semi-preparative chromatographic columns to obtain a single enantiomer. In addition to excellent chromatographic performance, the prepared CD-based column is stable and much cheaper than commercial columns, which can reduce the cost of test and has a good application prospect in chiral drug analysis.

Application of Kinetically Optimised Online HILIC × RP-LC Methods Hyphenated to High Resolution MS for the Analysis of Natural Phenolics

Phenolics are a large group of secondary plant metabolites that are of interest because of their proposed health benefits. The analysis of plant phenolics is challenging due to their extreme structural diversity. Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC × LC) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) offers a powerful analytical tool for the analysis of such complex mixtures. Especially, the combination of hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) is attractive for phenolic analysis due to the orthogonal group-type separations attainable. However, online hyphenation of HILIC and RP-LC is complicated by the relative elution strengths of the mobile phases used in both dimensions. Coupled to the inherent complexity of method development in LC × LC, this hampers the more widespread application of HILIC × RP-LC. In this study, a generic HILIC × RP-LC‒DAD-MS methodology for phenolic analysis utilising dilution of the first dimension flow and large volume injection in the second dimension is derived by kinetic optimisation of experimental parameters to provide maximum performance. The scope of the experimental configuration is demonstrated by its application to the analysis of rooibos tea, wine and grape samples containing a range of different flavonoid and non-flavonoid phenolic classes. Using this approach, excellent chromatographic performance was obtained, and a total of 149 phenolic compounds were tentatively identified in the investigated samples based on retention data in two dimensions, UV–Vis spectral as well as high- and low collision energy HR-MS data (72 in grape seeds, 32 in rooibos tea and 45 in wine and grapes) with minimal method development time. The results confirm the applicability of the proposed methodology for the detailed screening of phenolic constituents in natural products.

Enhanced extraction and preconcentration of main target saponins from Panax notoginseng root using green and efficient formulated surfactant aqueous systems

Abstract: In this study, the formulated surfactant aqueous system composed of 2% (w/v) Triton X-114 and 0.03% (w/v) Gemini 16-5-16 coupled with ultrasonic-assisted technology has been selected as an effective method for the extraction and preconcentration of five main saponin compounds in Panax notoginseng root samples. Under the optimum parameters, the extraction yields of notoginsenoside R1, ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rb1 and Rd could reach the values of 28.66 mg/g, 46.52 mg/g, 12.91 mg/g, 29.31 mg/g and 9.26 mg/g, respectively. And the preconcentration factor could be 11.5-fold. In addition, the proposed formulated surfactant system is also suitable for the subsequent HPLC analysis with excellent linearity correlation coefficient R2 ≥ 0.99, high repeatability with relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 4.45% and good recoveries within 97.12%–101.28%. Thus, the method gave higher extraction efficiencies, higher enhancement factors as well as excellent chromatographic performance than conventional solvents for the studied five main saponins in Panax notoginseng. In addition, the green and environmentally friendly formulated surfactant aqueous system which endows the safety and reliability of the extraction and preconcentration process. Moreover, this work is a one-step sample preparation procedure that integrated of extraction and preconcentration of target constituents. And the results indicated that the developed method possess the potential to large-scale extract and purify the bioactive components from plant materials.

Simultaneous determination of kasugamycin and validamycin-A residues in cereals by consecutive solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

ABSTRACTTwo polar aminoglycosides, kasugamycin and validamycin-A, were determined in cereals (brown rice, wheat and corn) by high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The analytes were extracted from samples using methanol and water (70:30, v/v) at pH 5.5, purified using both a hydrophilic–hydrophobic-balanced cartridge and a strong cation-exchange cartridge, and then analysed using multiple reaction monitoring in positive electrospray ionisation mode with a special ReproSil 100 C18 high-performance liquid chromatography column. This newly proposed method yielded good sensitivity and excellent chromatographic performance. The limits of quantification for kasugamycin and validamycin-A were 4.1 µg/kg and 1.0 µg/kg, respectively. The recoveries for both compounds at three fortification levels (4, 100 and 500 µg/kg for kasugamycin; 1, 10 and 100 µg/kg for validamycin-A) ranged from 75% to 110%, and the relative standard deviations were below 15%.

Protein adsorption onto diethylaminoethyl dextran modified anion exchanger: Effect of ionic strength and column behavior

Abstract Our previous studies on bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption to diethylaminoethyl dextran (DEAE dextran, DexD, grafting-ligand) and DEAE (D, surface-ligand) modified Sepharose FF resins found that all the grafted resins (FF-DexD and FF-D-DexD) exhibited extremely fast uptake rate (effective diffusivity, De, De/D0 > 1.4), which was six times greater than the ungrafted resins (De/D0 1.1) at the their working/binding IS range. Moreover, the DEAE dextran-FF resin displayed much higher adsorption capacities and De values than commercial ungrafted resin in their working condition. Furthermore, the column results of DEAE dextran-FF resins presented higher dynamic binding capacities than and similar elution ISs with DEAE Sepharose FF to achieve similar (or even higher) recoveries suggest the excellent chromatographic column performance of the DEAE dextran-FF resins. Finally, both high recovery and purity of BSA and γ-globulin could be easily achieved using the typical DEAE dextran-FF column, FF-D60-DexD160, to separate their binary mixtures, by step gradient elution. The research has provided new insights into the practical application of the series of DEAE-dextran grafted resins in protein chromatography and proved their superiority.

Preparation and evaluation of a novel N-benzyl-phenethylamino-β-cyclodextrin-bonded chiral stationary phase for HPLC

A novel N-benzyl-phenethylamino-β-cyclodextrin-bonded ordered mesoporous SBA-15 chiral stationary phase (BZCDP) for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was prepared. The structure and morphology of the ligand and the stationary phase were characterized by mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The enantiomers of chiral compounds including nine common β-adrenergic blocker drugs (β-blockers), eight dansyl amino acids (DNS-AA) and six flavanones were successfully separated by polar organic solvent and reversed-phase chromatography, respectively. The results showed that BZCDP was a kind of multimode chiral separation materials with an excellent chromatographic performance for the above compounds. In polar organic solvent mode, BZCDP can effectively separate β-blockers, in which the enantioselectivity factors and resolutions of β-blockers were up to 1.30 and 1.97 within 20min, respectively. Under the reversed-phase mode, BZCDP exhibited high enantioselectivities for DNS-AA, among them the resolution of dansyl-tyrosine was 3.29 with 20min. BZCDP was also successfully used to separate the flavanone compounds with methanol or acetonitrile as mobile phase. The resolution of 4'-hydroxy flavanone enantiomers reached to 3.65 about 15min. Compared with the native β-cyclodextrin and γ-cyclodextrin-bonded stationary phases in the literature, the separation speed of BZCDP containing mono-N-benzyl-phenethylamino-β-cyclodextrin ligand was faster and the separation selectivity was better, which indicated that the N-benzyl-phenethylamino group could also take part in the chiral recognition. After further study, we found that in polar organic solvent mode, the inclusion and hydrogen bonding were the main forces of chiral separations, and in reversed-phase mode, the inclusion and hydrophobic interaction are the main driving forces for chiral separations. Besides excellent chromatographic performance, the home-made cyclodextrin column with mesoporous SBA-15 as the matrix was much cheaper than commercial columns, and good permeability, which can reduce the cost of test and provide fast separation. BZCDP has a good prospect in chiral drug analysis.

Octadecylamine-modified poly (glycidylmethacrylate-divinylbenzene) stationary phase for HPLC determination of N-nitrosamines

Poly (glycidylmethacrylate-divinylbenzene) (Poly (GMA-DVB)) microspheres were prepared by the two-staged swelling and polymerization method, and modified with octadecylamine (ODA) to obtain ODA-poly (GMA-DVB) stationary phase for HPLC. The new material was characterized by scanning electron microscope, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that poly (GMA-DVB) microspheres had good monodispersity, porosity and ball shapes. The diameters and specific surface area of the microspheres were about 6µm and 396m2g−1, respectively. ODA-poly (GMA-DVB) stationary phase had good thermal stability. Furthermore, the chromatographic performance of the stationary phase was illustrated by separating n-alkylbenzenes, mono-substituted benzenes and N-nitrosamines. Auxiliary quantum chemistry calculation was also carried out to evaluate the interaction mechanism. According to the evaluation, ODA-poly (GMA-DVB) stationary phase exhibited good hydrophobicity and hydrophobic selectivity, strong stereo-selectivity, polar interaction and π-π interaction. The multi-interaction mechanisms could very likely guarantee its excellent chromatographic performance for the analysis of complex samples. Finally, the column was successfully applied in the determination of N-nitrosamines in pickles sample.

Development of a high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry based analysis for the simultaneous quantification of various Alternaria toxins in wine, vegetable juices and fruit juices

An analytical method based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) detection for the simultaneous quantification of 12 Alternaria toxins in wine, vegetable juices and fruit juices was developed. Excellent chromatographic performance was demonstrated for tenuazonic acid (TeA) in a multi-analyte method. This comprehensive study is also the first to report the determination of TeA, alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tentoxin (TEN) and altenuene (ALT), altertoxin I (ATX-I), altertoxin II (ATX-II), altenuisol (ATL), iso-altenuene (isoALT), altenuic acid III (AA-III) and the AAL toxins TB1 und TB2 in samples from the German market. Several types of HPLC columns were tested for the liquid chromatographic separation of the toxins of interest that widely differ in their polarities. The focus was on gaining suitable retention while avoiding derivatization steps especially for TeA and AA-III. Three atmospheric pressure ionization techniques used with liquid chromatography (electrospray, chemical and photo ionization) were tested to obtain the best selectivity and sensitivity. Samples were diluted with sodium hydrogen carbonate buffer and extracted on a diatomaceous earth solid phase extraction cartridge. Method validation was carried out by using tomato juice, citrus juice and white wine as blank matrices. Limits of detection ranged from 0.10 to 0.59μgL⿿1 and limits of quantification ranged from 0.4⿿3.1μgL⿿1 depending on the toxin and matrix. Recoveries were around 100±9% for all toxins except stemphyltoxin III (STTX-III) and altenusin (ALS) due to instability during sample clean up. Matrix-induced effects leading to ion suppression especially for ATX-I, ATX-II and AA-III were investigated. Relative standard deviations of repeatability (RSDr) and intermediate reproducibility (RSDR) were ⿤9.3 and ⿤17.1, respectively, for the toxins in different matrices at levels of 5 and 30μgL⿿1. Finally, 103 commercially obtained wine and juice samples from the German market in 2015 were analysed. TeA was found most frequently (68% of all analysed samples) in concentrations of up to 60.0μgL⿿1. AOH, AME and TEN were detected in fewer samples (37%, 16% and 30%) at lower concentrations of up to 8.2, 1.5 and 10.3μgL⿿1, respectively. AA-III and ATL were detected for the first time in 3% and 17% of food all samples, in concentrations of up to 6.0μgL⿿1 and 5.9μgL⿿1, respectively.

Development of N-ferrocenyl(benzoyl)amino-acid esters stationary phase for high performance liquid chromatography

A new stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography was prepared by covalently bonding N-ferrocenyl(benzoyl)amino-acid esters (L1) onto silica gel using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as coupling reagent. The structure of new material was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The chromatographic behavior of the phase was illustrated in reversed-phase (RP) and normal-phase (NP) modes using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatics positional isomers, amines, 5-nitroimidazoles, organophosphorus pesticides and phenols as probes. Multiple mechanisms including hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding, π–π, dipole–dipole, charge-transfer and acid–base equilibrium interactions are involved. Thus, multi-interaction mechanisms and mixed-mode separation of the new phase can very likely guarantee its excellent chromatographic performance for the analysis of complex samples. The L1 AminoSil column was successfully employed for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides in vegetable.

On the applicability of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography combined with a fast-scanning quadrupole mass spectrometer for untargeted large-scale metabolomics

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC×GC–MS) offers excellent chromatographic separation performance and superior sensitivity. As such, it is eminently suitable for the analysis of complex biological samples. The applicability of a GC×GC instrument equipped with a fast-scanning qMS detector for large-scale untargeted metabolome analyses was investigated. We optimized the dimensions of an apolar×medium-polar column combination in order to meet detector requirements and to compromise between separation performance and analysis time. The final method enabled a sufficient separation (R≥1.2 or higher) of approx. 90% of all analytes detected in urine within less than 1h. Using the qMS at maximum scan speed (20,000u/s) and choosing a scan range of m/z 60–550, a data acquisition frequency of 33Hz and usually at least 10–13 data points per 2D peak above the baseline were achieved. Peak area as well as peak height could thus be determined precisely (mean RSD 2.5%). Spectral skewing was limited regarding the data points covering the upper peak half. As a consequence, peak apex spectra could be used for the alignment of analytes in different samples. The linear dynamic range was 1–2.5 orders of magnitude, depending on the analyte. In addition, the slow transition into saturation beyond the linear dynamic range made it possible to exploit an extended “working range” for relative quantification. Long-term stability of the system was demonstrated by the analysis of more than 300 human urine study samples for which detailed repeatability and intermediate precision data are provided. In summary, the GC×GC–qMS system proved to be applicable for untargeted large scale metabolome analyses.

A controlled thiol-initiated surface polymerization strategy for the preparation of hydrophilic polymer stationary phases.

A controlled thiol-initiated surface polymerization strategy has been successfully developed and employed to prepare hydrophilic polymer stationary phases, which exhibited excellent chromatographic performance and protein non-fouling properties.

C₁₈-bound porous silica monolith particles as a low-cost high-performance liquid chromatography stationary phase with an excellent chromatographic performance.

Ground porous silica monolith particles with an average particle size of 2.34 μm and large pores (363 Å) exhibiting excellent chromatographic performance have been synthesized on a relatively large scale by a sophisticated sol-gel procedure. The particle size distribution was rather broad, and the d(0.1)/d(0.9) ratio was 0.14. The resultant silica monolith particles were chemically modified with chlorodimethyloctadecylsilane and end-capped with a mixture of hexamethyldisilazane and chlorotrimethylsilane. Very good separation efficiency (185,000/m) and chromatographic resolution were achieved when the C18 -bound phase was evaluated for a test mixture of five benzene derivatives after packing in a stainless-steel column (1.0 mm × 150 mm). The optimized elution conditions were found to be 70:30 v/v acetonitrile/water with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid at a flow rate of 25 μL/min. The column was also evaluated for fast analysis at a flow rate of 100 μL/min, and all the five analytes were eluted within 3.5 min with reasonable efficiency (ca. 60,000/m) and resolution. The strategy of using particles with reduced particle size and large pores (363 Å) combined with C18 modification in addition to partial-monolithic architecture has resulted in a useful stationary phase (C18 -bound silica monolith particles) of low production cost showing excellent chromatographic performance.

Development of a V-shape bis(tetraoxacalix[2]arene[2]triazine) stationary phase for High performance liquid chromatography

A new stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography was prepared by covalently bonding a V-shape cage heteroatom-bridged calixarene onto silica gel using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as coupling reagent. The structure of the new material was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. Linear solvation energy relationship method was successfully employed to evaluate the new phase with a set of 34 solutes. The retention characteristic of the new phase shows significant similarities with ODS, as well as distinctive features. Multiple mechanisms including hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding, π–π and n–π interaction are involved. The chromatographic behavior of the phase was illustrated by using alkylbenzenes, aromatics positional isomers and flavonoids as probes. Moreover, inorganic anions were individually separated in anion-exchange mode by using the same column. Thus, multi-interaction mechanisms and mixed-mode separation of the new phase can very likely guarantee its excellent chromatographic performance for the analysis of complex samples. The column has been successfully employed for the analysis of clenbuterol in animal urine, and it is demonstrated to be suitable and a competitive alternative analytical method for the determination of clenbuterol.