Hybrid Monolithic Column Research Articles

Organo-silica hybrid capillary monolithic column with mesoporous silica particles for separation of small aromatic molecules

Monolithic stationary phases for use in capillary electrochromatography were prepared by incorporation of mesoporous silica particles (of type MCM-41 or UVM-7) in a polymer obtained from butyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as monomers, 1,4-butanediol and 1-propanol as porogen, and azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. The stability of the dispersions with varying fractions of silica particles was investigated by UV-vis spectrometry. Using continuous stirring during the capillary filling and short UV-polymerization times, polymeric beds with homogenously dispersed mesoporous particles (with contents up to 35 wt% of silica) are obtained. The resulting hybrid monolithic columns were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. The chromatographic performance of these novel stationary phases was evaluated by using alkyl benzenes and benzoic acid derivatives as test analytes. The use of these polymers leads to increased retention and separation efficiency compared to the parent monolith. The column efficiency reached values of up to 140,000 plates m−1. The resulting hybrid monolithic columns also exhibited a satisfactory reproducibility with relative standard deviations of ca. 14% (batch-to-batch).

One-pot preparation of mercaptotetrazole-silica hybrid monoliths by the thiol-ene click reaction for mixed-mode capillary liquid chromatography.

A novel mercaptotetrazole-silica hybrid monolithic column was prepared for capillary liquid chromatography, in which the thiol-end mercaptotetrazole was mixed with hydrolyzed γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane and tetramethyloxysilane for the co-polycondensation and thiol-ene click reaction in a one-pot process. The effects of the molar ratio of silanes, the amount of mercaptotetrazole, and the volume of porogen on the morphology, permeability and pore properties of the as-prepared mercaptotetrazole-silica hybrid monoliths were investigated in detail. A series of test compounds including alkylbenzenes, amides and anilines were employed for evaluating the retention behaviors of the mercaptotetrazole-silica hybrid monolithic columns. The results demonstrated that the mercaptotetrazole-silica hybrid monoliths exhibited hydrophobic, hydrophilic as well as ion-exchange interaction. The run-to-run, column-to-column and batch-to-batch reproducibilities of the mercaptotetrazole-silica hybrid monoliths were satisfactory with the relative standard deviations less than 1.4 (n=5), 3.9 (n=3) and 4.0% (n=5), respectively. In addition, the mercaptotetrazole-silica hybrid monolith was further applied to the separation of sulfonamides, nucleobases and protein tryptic digests. These successful applications confirmed the promising potential of the mercaptotetrazole-silica hybrid monolith in the separation of complex samples.

Preparation of organic-silica hybrid monolithic columns via crosslinking of functionalized mesoporous carbon nanoparticles for capillary liquid chromatography

An organic-silica hybrid monolithic capillary column was fabricated by crosslinking (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) modified mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (AP-MCNs) with tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and n-butyltrimethoxysilane (C4-TriMOS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, mercury intrusion porosimetry and inverse size-exclusion chromatography characterization proved the successful immobilization of mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCNs). The crosslinking of AP-MCNs into the hybrid monolithic matrix has significantly increased the reversed-phase retention of alkylbenzenes and chromatographic performance for small molecules separations in comparison with the neat one without MCNs. The resulting column efficiency of the mesoporous carbon nanoparticle-based butyl-silica hybrid monolithic column (MCN-C4-monolith) was up to ca. 116,600N/m for the capillary liquid chromatography (cLC) separation of butylbenzene. Enhanced performance of proteins separation was achieved on the MCN-C4-monolith in comparison with the butyl-silica hybrid monolithic column without MCN (C4-monolith). The separation of peptides from bovine serum albumin (BSA) digest was carried out on the MCN-C4-monolith by capillary liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (cLC–MS/MS) with protein sequence coverage of 81.9%, suggesting its potential application in proteomics.

Dipentaerythritol penta-/hexa-acrylate based-highly cross-linked hybrid monolithic column: Preparation and its applications for ultrahigh efficiency separation of proteins

In this study, multi-acrylate based dipentaerythritol penta-/hexa-acrylate (DPEPA) was exploited for fabrication of highly cross-linked hybrid monolithic column by copolymerization with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane methacryl substituted (POSS-MA) via a “one-pot” method. The new DPEPA-POSS hybrid monolithic column was respectively characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurement. When it was used for the separation of amides, thioureas and positional isomers of phenols, ultrahigh column efficiency separation (up to 511,000 N m−1) was achieved with excellent selectivity. Moreover, intact protein standards could be efficiently separated with minimum tailing peaks, outperforming the commercially available silica-based C8 column. Furthermore, successful separation of complex egg white proteins and expressed BARD1 BRCT domains protein sample was also achieved with good chromatographic performance. In the future work, the DPEPA-POSS hybrid monolithic column will be further exploited and applied in capillary electrochromatography as well as the top-down based proteome research.

Periodic imidazolium-bridged hybrid monolith for high-efficiency capillary liquid chromatography with enhanced selectivity.

A novel periodic imidazolium-bridged hybrid monolithic column was developed. With diene imidazolium ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide as both cross-linker and organic functionalized reagent, a new periodic imidazolium-bridged hybrid monolithic column was facilely prepared in capillary with homogeneously distributed cationic imidazolium by a one-step free-radical polymerization with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane methacryl substituted. The successful preparation of the new column was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, elemental analysis, and surface area analysis. Most interestingly, the bonded amount of 1-allyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide of the new column is three times higher than that of the conventional imidazolium-embedded hybrid monolithic column and the specific surface area of the column reached 478 m2 /g. The new column exhibited high stability, excellent separation efficiency, and enhanced separation selectivity. The column efficiency reached 151 000 plates/m for alkylbenzenes. Furthermore, the new column was successfully used for separation of highly polar nucleosides and nucleic acid bases with pure water as mobile phase and even bovine serum albumin tryptic digest. All these results demonstrate the periodic imidazolium-bridged hybrid monolithic column is a good separation media and can be used for chromatographic separation of small molecules and complex biological samples with high efficiency.

A hybrid monolithic column based on boronate-functionalized graphene oxide nanosheets for online specific enrichment of glycoproteins

A hybrid monolithic column based on aminophenylboronic acid (APBA)-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) has been developed and used for selective enrichment of glycoproteins. The APBA/GO composites were homogeneously incorporated into a polymer monolithic column with the help of oligomer matrix and followed by in situ polymerization. The effect of dispersion of APBA/GO composites in the polymerization mixture on the performance of the monolithic column was explored in detail. The presence of graphene oxide not only enlarged the BET surface area from 6.3m2/g to 169.4m2/g, but also provided abundant boronic acid moieties for glycoprotein extraction, which improved the enrichment selectivity and efficiency for glycoproteins. The APBA/GO hybrid monolithic column was incorporated into a sequential injection system, which facilitated online extraction of proteins. Combining the superior properties of extraordinary surface area of GO and the affinity interaction of APBA to glycoproteins, the APBA/GO hybrid monolithic column showed higher enrichment factors for glycoproteins than other proteins without cis-diol-containing groups. Also, under comparable or even shorter processing time and without the addition of any organic solvent, it showed higher binding capacity toward glycoproteins compared with the conventional boronate affinity monolithic column. The practical applicability of this system was demonstrated by processing of egg white samples for extraction of ovalbumin and ovotransferrin, and satisfactory results were obtained by assay with SDS-PAGE.

Functionalization of hybrid monolithic columns via thiol-ene click reaction for proteomics analysis

The vinyl-functionalized hybrid monolithic columns (75 and 150μm i.d.) were prepared via sol-gel chemistry of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS). The content of accessible vinyl groups was further improved after the monolithic column was post-treated with vinyldimethylethoxysilane (VDMES). The surface properties of monolithic columns were tailored via thiol-ene click reaction by using 1-octadecanethiol, sodium 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate and 2,2′-(ethylenedioxy)diethanethiol/vinylphosphonic acid, respectively. The preparing octadecyl-functionalized monolithic columns were adopted for proteomics analysis in cLC–MS/MS. A 37-cm-long×75-μm-i.d. monolithic column could identify 3918 unique peptides and 1067 unique proteins in the tryptic digest of proteins from HeLa cells. When a 90-cm-long×75-μm-i.d. monolithic column was used, the numbers of unique peptides and proteins were increased by 82% and 32%, respectively. Furthermore, strong cation exchange (SCX) monolithic columns (4cm in length×150μm i.d.) were also prepared and coupled with the 37-cm-long×75-μm-i.d. octadecyl-functionalized monolithic column for two-dimensional SCX-RPLC–MS/MS analysis, which could identify 17114 unique peptides and 3211 unique proteins.

Preparation and characterization of hydrophilic hybrid monoliths via thiol-ene click polymerization and their applications in chromatographic analysis and glycopeptides enrichment

A macroporous hydrophilic organic-silica hybrid monolithic column was synthesized via photoinitiated thiol-ene click polymerization reaction of 1-thioglycerol-modified polyhedral oligomeric vinylsilsesquioxane (vinylPOSS) and dithiothreitol (DTT) in a binary porogenic system consisting of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and dodecanol. 1-Thioglycerol was used to modify vinylPOSS in order to form a precursor with good solubility in the binary porogenic system. The influences of both the ratio of 1-thioglycerol/vinylPOSS and the porogenic solvents on the morphology and permeability of hybrid monoliths were studied in detail. The physical properties of hybrid monolith were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurement. The chromatographic performance was evaluated by separation of neutral polar compounds in capillary liquid chromatography (cLC). The resulting column possessed homogeneous macroporous structure and showed hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) separation mechanism with high efficiency of 65,000Nm−1 for formamide. Ultimately, the hybrid matrix was grafted with hydrazine groups and then exhibited the ability of glycopeptides enrichment.

Efficient adsorption of hemoglobin from aqueous solutions by hybrid monolithic cryogel column

In this study, a supermacroporous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA)-based Cu2+-attached bentonite particles embedded hybrid monolithic cryogel (Cu2+-ABPs EHMC) was prepared by radical cryo-copolymerization of HEMA with N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBAAm) as a cross-linker directly in a plastic syringe in the presence of Cu2+-ABPs, and used for hemoglobin (Hb) separation from aqueous solution. Due to the naturally abundant hydroxyl groups on bentonite, Cu2-attached bentonite particles (Cu2+-ABPs) embedded hybrid monolithic cryogel (HMC) showed a good adsorption performance for Hb, covering an excellent adsorption capacity of 521.6mg/g bentonite in phosphate buffer at pH6.0 with a flow rate of 0.5mL/min, fast binding stability within 60min, well selectivity and reversibility. Compared with other adsorbent systems used for protein separation, this sorbent has many advantages such as excellent adsorption performance, ease of preparation, suitable, effective and environment-friendly to perform, which can serve as a more sustainable material in protein separation and purification.

Incorporation of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8)-derived nanoporous carbons in methacrylate polymeric monoliths for capillary electrochromatography

A series of metal organic frameworks-derived nanoporous carbons originating from zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) crystals as precursors have been prepared via varying the preparation conditions. The ZIF-8-derived carbons were subsequently admixed in the methacrylate monomers containing polymerization mixtures and polymerized to obtain monolithic columns for capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The effect of particle size and content of the ZIF-8-derived carbon materials in the polymerization mixture on the performance of the hybrid monolithic columns was investigated in detail. The resulting composites were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. Using short time UV-initiated polymerization, monolithic beds with homogenously dispersed ZIF-8-derived carbons were obtained. The chromatographic performance of these composites was demonstrated with separations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as test solutes. The incorporation of the ZIF-8-derived carbons into the organic polymer monoliths led to an increase in the retention of all the analytes compared to the parent monolith. Finally, the hybrid monolithic columns exhibited satisfactory run-to-run and batch-to-batch reproducibility.

Boronic acid-fumed silica nanoparticles incorporated large surface area monoliths for protein separation by nano-liquid chromatography.

In this study, a novel boronic acid-fumed silica nanoparticles incorporated hybrid monolithic stationary phase for glycoprotein separation by nano-liquid chromatography was developed. The stationary phase was prepared in 100μm capillary by an in situ copolymerization of methacryloyl-fumed silica nanoparticle (MFSNP), 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA-Cl), and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) in a binary porogenic solvent composed of cyclohexanol and dodecanol. The preparation of the monolith was optimized by investigating the ratio of functional monomer to crosslinker and the effect of MFSNP content. The resulting monolithic column was functionalized with 3-aminophenylboronic acid (3-APBA). The column morphology, pore size, and specific surface area of the fabricated monolith were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photo electron spectroscopy, and BET equation by means of the nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm, respectively. Good permeability stability and column efficiency were observed on the monolith with nano-flow. The results also indicated that the MFSNP content was very important for final preparation of the monolithic stationary phase. The monolith with MFSNP could achieve better separation than one without MFSNP. The chromatographic performance of the monolith with respect to hydrophobic/affinity interactions was evaluated by the separation of alkylbenzene derivatives, proteins, and glycoprotein, respectively. The column efficiencies for alkylbenzenes on the hybrid monolithic column reached to 15,600-25,000 plates/m at the velocity of 1.2mm/s in nano-liquid chromatography.

One-Pot Approach to Prepare Organo-silica Hybrid Capillary Monolithic Column with Intact Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle as Building Block.

A facile “one-pot” approach to prepare organo-silica hybrid capillary monolithic column with intact mesoporous silica nanoparticle (IMSN) as crosslinker and building block was described. An IMSN crosslinked octadecyl-silica hybrid capillary monolithic column (IMSN-C18 monolithic column) was successfully prepared, and the effects of fabrication conditions (e.g. concentration of intact mesoporous silica nanoparticle, polycondensation temperature, content of vinyltrimethoxysilane and stearyl methacrylate) on the structures of the IMSN-C18 monolithic column were studied in detail. The IMSN-C18 hybrid monolithic column possessed uniform morphology, good mechanical and pH stability (pH 1.1–11), which was applied to the separations of alkyl benzenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as well as proteins. The minimum plate height of 10.5 μm (corresponding to 95000 N m−1) for butylbenzene and high reproducibility were achieved. The analysis of tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was carried out on the IMSN-C18 monolithic column by cLC coupled mass spectrometry (cLC-MS/MS), with the protein sequence coverage of 87.5% for BSA, demonstrating its potential application in proteomics.

Green synthesis of mesoporous molecular sieve incorporated monoliths using room temperature ionic liquid and deep eutectic solvents

A hybrid monolith incorporated with mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 of uniform pore structure and high surface area was prepared with binary green porogens in the first time. With a mixture of room temperature ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents as porogens, MCM-41 was modified with 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (γ-MPS) and the resulting MCM-41-MPS was incorporated into poly (BMA-co-EDMA) monoliths covalently. Because of good dispersibility of MCM-41-MPS in the green solvent-based polymerization system, high permeability and homogeneity for the resultant hybrid monolithic columns was achieved. The MCM-41-MPS grafted monolith was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer area scanning, transmission electron microscopy, FT-IR spectra and nitrogen adsorption tests. Chromatographic performance of MCM-41-MPS grafted monolith was characterized by separating small molecules in capillary electrochromatography, including phenol series, naphthyl substitutes, aniline series and alkyl benzenes. The maximum column efficiency of MCM-41-MPS grafted monolith reached 209,000 plates/m, which was twice higher than the corresponding MCM-41-MPS free monolith. Moreover, successful separation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons demonstrated the capacity in broad-spectrum application of the MCM-41-MPS incorporated monolith. The results indicated that green synthesis using room temperature ionic liquid and deep eutectic solvents is an effective method to prepare molecular sieve-incorporated monolithic column.

Preparation of Organic-Silica Hybrid Monolith with Anion Exchange/Hydrophilic Interaction Mixed-Mode Via Epoxy–Amine Ring-Opening Polymerization Using Polyethylenimine as Functional Monomer

Polyethylenimine (PEI) and 2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-2,4,6,8-tetrakis(propyl glycidyl ether)cyclotetrasiloxane (POSS–epoxy) were used as precursors for the preparation of organic-silica hybrid monolithic columns (PEI–POSS monolith) via epoxy–amine ring-opening polymerization (ROP). The high density of amine groups in PEI provides rich chromatographic interaction sites for the polar or acidic analytes in hydrophilic interaction (HILIC) and weak anion exchange (WAX) mechanisms. The column preparation conditions, such as the porogens, solvent and reaction temperature, were systematically investigated according to the morphology, permeability and column efficiency. The separation mechanisms of HILIC and WAX were evaluated with neutral polar compounds and halogen benzoic acids. Owing to the existence of reactive amine groups on the matrix surface, the PEI–POSS monolith is also an ideal starting material for the preparation of HILIC or strong anionic exchange (SAX) stationary phases by modification. The modification of PEI–POSS monoliths with iodomethane or bromoacetic acid via the nucleophilic substitution reaction could achieve the retention mechanisms of SAX or zwitterionic HILIC, respectively.

Preparation and Application for Separation of Small Molecules of a New Poly(OVS-co-EDMA) Hybrid Monolithic Column

A hybrid monolithic column was prepared using octavinyloctasilasesquioxane (OVS) as a monomer, benzoyl peroxide/dimethylacetamide (BPO/DMA) as initiator, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as cross-linker, 1-dodecanol as porogenic agent and dimethylbenzene as cosolvent. A tidy skeleton, much bigger specific surface area (22.4 m2/g) and lower swelling property of the monolithic column with OVS added than the one without OVS added were determined with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements (BET) and swelling test with elute of different concentration of acetonitrile in water. Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR) was taken to characterize the composition of groups. Moreover, a better separation performance for benzene series compounds under reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) mode was obtained using the monolithic columns with OVS added than those without.

Silica-based polypeptide-monolithic stationary phase for hydrophilic chromatography and chiral separation

Glutathione (GSH)-, somatostatin acetate (ST)- and ovomucoid (OV)-functionalized silica-monolithic stationary phases were designed and synthesized for HILIC and chiral separation using capillary electrochromatography (CEC). GSH, ST and OV were covalently incorporated into the silica skeleton via the epoxy ring-opening reaction between their amino groups and the glycidyl moiety in γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) together with polycondensation and copolymerization of tetramethyloxysilane and GPTMS. Not only could the direction and electroosmotic flow magnitude on the prepared GSH-, ST- and OV-silica hybrid monolithic stationary phases be controlled by the pH of the mobile phase, but also a typical HILIC behavior was observed so that the nucleotides and HPLC peptide standard mixture could be baseline separated using an aqueous mobile phase without any acetonitrile during CEC. Moreover, the prepared monolithic columns had a chiral separation ability to separate dl-amino acids. The OV-silica hybrid monolithic column was most effective in chiral separation and could separate dl-glutamic acid (Glu) (the resolution R=1.07), dl-tyrosine (Tyr) (1.57) and dl-histidine (His) (1.06). Importantly, the chiral separation ability of the GSH-silica hybrid monolithic column could be remarkably enhanced when using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to fabricate an AuNP-mediated GSH-AuNP-GSH-silica hybrid monolithic column. The R of dl-Glu, dl-Tyr and dl-His reached 1.19, 1.60 and 2.03. This monolithic column was thus applied to separate drug enantiomers, and quantitative separation of all four R/S drug enantiomers were achieved with R ranging from 4.36 to 5.64. These peptide- and protein-silica monolithic stationary phases with typical HILIC separation behavior and chiral separation ability implied their promise for the analysis of not only the future metabolic studies, but also drug enantiomers recognition.

Monolithic stationary phases with incorporated fumed silica nanoparticles. Part II. Polymethacrylate-based monolithic column with “covalently” incorporated modified octadecyl fumed silica nanoparticles for reversed-phase chromatography

This study is concerned with the incorporation of surface modified fumed silica nanoparticles (FSNPs) into polymethacrylate based monolithic columns for use in reversed phase chromatography (RPC) of small solutes and proteins. First, FSNPs were modified with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate (TMSPM) to yield the “hybrid” methacryloyl fumed silica nanoparticle (MFSNP) monomer. The resulting MFSNP was then mixed with glyceryl monomethacrylate (GMM) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) in a binary porogenic solvent composed of cyclohexanol and dodecanol, and the in situ copolymerization of MFSNP, GMM and EDMA was performed in a stainless steel column of 4.6 mm i.d. The silanol groups of the hybrid monolith thus obtained were grafted with octadecyl ligands by perfusing the hybrid monolithic column with a solution of 4% w/v of dimethyloctadecylchlorosilane (DODCS) in toluene while the column was maintained at 110°C for 6h (in a heated HPLC oven). One of the originalities of this study was to demonstrate MFSNP as a novel derivatized “hybrid monomer” in making RPC monolithic columns with surface bound octadecyl ligands. In this respect, the RPC behavior of the monolithic column with “covalently” incorporated FNSPs having surface grafted octadecyl ligands was evaluated with alkylbenzenes, aniline derivatives and phenolic compounds. The results showed that the hybrid poly(GMA-EDMA-MFSNP) having surface bound octadecyl ligands exhibited hydrophobic interactions under reversed phase elution conditions. Furthermore, six standard proteins were baseline separated on the column using a 10min linear gradient elution at increasing ACN concentration in the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0mL/min using a 10 cm×4.6mm i.d. column. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for the retention times of the tested solutes were lower than 2.1% and 2.4% under isocratic elution and gradient elution conditions, respectively.

Preparation of an aptamer based organic–inorganic hybrid monolithic column with gold nanoparticles as an intermediary for the enrichment of proteins

A novel strategy for the preparation of an aptamer based organic-inorganic hybrid affinity monolithic column was developed successfully using gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as an intermediary for a sandwich structure to realize the functional modification of the surface of the monolithic matrix. This monolithic matrix was facilely pre-synthesized via one-step co-condensation. Due to the high surface-to-volume ratio of GNPs and the large specific surface area of the hybrid matrix, the average coverage density of aptamers on the hybrid monolith reached 342 pmol μL(-1). With the combination of an aptamer based hybrid affinity monolithic column and enzymatic chromogenic assay, the quantitation and detection limits of thrombin were as low as 5 nM and 2 nM, respectively. These results indicated that the GNPs attached monolith provided a novel technique to immobilize aptamers on an organic-inorganic hybrid monolith and it could be used to achieve highly selective recognition and determination of trace proteins.

Enantioseparation of basic chiral drugs on a carbamoylated erythromycin-zirconia hybrid monolith using capillary electrochromatography

An organic–inorganic hybrid monolithic column was prepared within the confines of a capillary via a single-step in situ sol–gel approach using zirconium tetrabutoxide as a precursor to compose the inorganic backbone and 3-triethoxysilylpropyl carbamoylated derivative of erythromycin (TEOSPC-ERY) as a co-precursor to introduce the organic chiral selector moiety in the zirconia backbone. The resulting carbamoylated ERY-zirconia hybrid monolith (ERY-ZHM) showed homogeneous morphology with well-defined through pores and was tightly connected with the inner wall of the capillary. The column was employed for capillary electrochromatographic enantioseparation of six basic chiral drugs in mobile phases (MPs) consisting of acetonitrile (ACN) and triethylammonium acetate (TEAA) buffer. The effects of composition of MP and applied voltage on chiral separation were investigated by using propranolol as a representative analyte. The highest resolution (Rs=3.33) was obtained with a MP consisting of 10/90 (v/v) ACN/TEAA buffer (10mM, pH 7), 10kV applied voltage and 25°C capillary temperature. The relative standard deviations for resolution values regarding run to run, day to day, column to column and batch to batch repeatability were 0.41%, 0.89%, 1.80% and 2.26% (for n=3), respectively, indicating satisfactory stability of columns and reproducibility of column preparation process.

One-pot preparation of a mixed-mode organic-silica hybrid monolithic capillary column and its application in determination of endogenous gibberellins in plant tissues

A newly improved one-pot method, based on “thiol-ene” click chemistry and sol–gel approach in microemulsion system, was developed for the preparation of C8/PO(OH)2-silica hybrid monolithic capillary column. The prepared monolith possesses large specific surface area, narrow mesopore size distribution and high column efficiency. The monolithic column was demonstrated to have cation exchange/reversed-phase (CX/RP) mixed-mode retention for analytes on nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC). On the basis of the developed nano-LC system with MS detector coupled to pipette tip solid phase extraction (PT-SPE) and derivatization process, we then realized simultaneous determination of 10 gibberellins (GAs) with low limits of detection (LODs, 0.003–0.025ng/mL). Furthermore, 6 endogenous GAs in only 5mg rice leaves (fresh weight) were successfully detected and quantified. The developed PT-SPE-nano-LC–MS strategy may offer promising applications in the determination of low abundant bioactive molecules from complex matrix.