Reversed-phase Liquid Chromatography Conditions Research Articles

Chromatographic and spectroscopic analysis of Dibenzo[b,l]Fluoranthene and its determination in SRM 1597a by laser-excited time-resolved Shpol'skii spectroscopy

BackgroundPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with molecular mass 302 Da are the most investigated PAHs within the high molecular weight PAHs class. This PAH class contributes to a significant portion of the mutagenic and/or carcinogenic response associated to the PAH fraction present in environmental and combustion-related samples. Several reasons prevent the routine analysis of 302 Da PAHs in environmental samples, including large number of possible isomers, limited number of commercially available reference standards, and low concentration levels. ResultsThese studies search for a newly synthetized dibenzo-fluoranthene of molecular mass 302 Da, namely dibenzo[b,l]fluoranthene, in a standard reference material (SRM 1597a) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The eluting behavior of dibenzo[b,l]fluoranthene is investigated under reversed-phase liquid chromatographic conditions for its determination via absorption and fluorescence detection. Vibrationally resolved spectra and fluorescence lifetimes recorded from octane matrices at 77 K and 4.2 K allow for its qualitative and quantitative analysis at the parts-per-trillion concentration levels. Its unambiguous determination is then reported for the first time in the SRM 1597a. Significance and noveltyOf the 89 possible 302 Da PAH isomers, only 23 isomers have been identified in SRMs and/or environmental samples. The determination of dibenzo[b,l]fluoranthene in the SRM 1597a takes a step forward to fulfilling this gap.

User-Driven Strategy for In Silico Screening of Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography Conditions for Known Pharmaceutical-Related Small Molecules

In the pharmaceutical field, and more precisely in quality control laboratories, robust liquid chromatographic methods are needed to separate and analyze mixtures of compounds. The development of such chromatographic methods for new mixtures can result in a long and tedious process even while using the design of experiments methodology. However, developments could be accelerated with the help of in silico screening. In this work, the usefulness of a strategy combining response surface methodology (RSM) followed by multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) applied to predictions from a quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) model is demonstrated. The developed strategy shows that selecting equations for the retention time prediction models based on the pKa of the compound allows flexibility in the models. The MCDA developed is shown to help to make decisions on different criteria while being robust to the user's decision on the weights for each criterion. This strategy is proposed for the screening phase of the method lifecycle. The strategy offers the possibility to the user to select chromatographic conditions based on multiple criteria without being too sensitive to the importance given to them. The conditions with the highest desirability are defined as the starting point for further optimization steps.

Investigation of retention behavior of natural cannabinoids on differently substituted polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases under reversed-phase liquid chromatographic conditions

The growing popularity of cannabis products and recent legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes have contributed to the increase of the demand for analytical methods able to give a detailed characterization of cannabis samples and derivatives. In this context, one of the aspects that is strongly emerging is about the hazardous potential of uncharacterised minor cannabinoids, including chiral ones, for which achiral potency testing methods currently employed do not give any information. For this reason, there is a growing interest towards the development of liquid chromatographic methods for the enantioseparation of cannabinoids. Much work is needed in this field where one of the major limitations is the lack of optically pure standards. This manuscript reports about the chromatographic behavior of five popular cannabinoids (including the cannabichromene racemate, CBC) on nine immobilised polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSPs) differently substituted, under reversed phase conditions. Results showed that chemo-selectivity of CSPs is not affected by changes in mobile phase composition, in the range of mobile phase investigated. In addition, the presence of electron withdrawing groups on the CSPs systematically leads to shorter retention times compared to when electron donating groups are present. An application of separation of cannabinoids from a real hemp extract on two of the chiral columns employed in this work revealed the presence of both CBC enantiomers in the sample.

Accuracy of retention model parameters obtained from retention data in liquid chromatography.

In liquid chromatography, it is often very useful to have an accurate model of the retention factor, k, over a wide range of isocratic elution conditions. In principle, the parameters of a retention model can be obtained by fitting either isocratic or gradient retention factor data. However, in spite of many of our own attempts to accurately predict isocratic k values using retention models trained with gradient retention data, this has not worked in our hands. In the present study, we have used synthetic isocratic and gradient retention data for small molecules under reversed-phase liquid chromatography conditions. This allows us to discover challenges associated with predicting isocratic k values without the confounding influences of experimental issues that are difficult to model or eliminate. The results indicate that it is not currently possible to consistently predict isocratic retention factors for small molecules with accuracies better than 10%, even when using synthetic gradient retention data. Two distinct challenges in fitting gradient retention data were identified: 1) a lack of 'uniqueness' in the parameters and 2) an inability to find the global optimum fit in a complex fitting landscape. Working with experimental data where measurement noise is unavoidable will only make the accuracy worse.

In Silico Method Development of Achiral and Chiral Tandem Column Reversed-phase Liquid Chromatography for Multicomponent Pharmaceutical Mixtures.

Tandem column liquid chromatography (LC) is a convenient, cost-effective approach to resolve multicomponent mixtures by serially coupling columns on readily available one-dimensional separation systems without specialized user training. Yet, adoption of this technique remains limited, mainly due to the difficulty in identifying optimal selectivity out of many possible tandem column combinations. At this point, method development and optimization require laborious "hit-or-miss" experimentation and "blind" screening when investigating different column selectivity without standard analytes. As a result, many chromatography practitioners end up combining two columns of similar selectivity, limiting the scope and potential of tandem column LC as a mainstay for industrial applications. To circumvent this challenge, we herein introduce a straightforward in silico multifactorial approach as a framework to expediently map the separation landscape across multiple tandem columns (achiral and chiral) and eluent combinations (isocratic and gradient elution) under reversed-phase LC conditions. Retention models were built using commercially available LC simulator software showcasing less than 2% difference between experimental and simulated retention times for analytes of interest in multicomponent pharmaceutical mixtures (e.g., metabolites and cyclic peptides).

Affinity of Antifungal Isoxazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-3(1H)-Ones to Phospholipids in Immobilized Artificial Membrane (IAM) Chromatography.

Currently, rapid evaluation of the physicochemical parameters of drug candidates, such as lipophilicity, is in high demand owing to it enabling the approximation of the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Although the lipophilicity of drug candidates is determined using the shake flash method (n-octanol/water system) or reversed phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC), more biosimilar alternatives to classical lipophilicity measurement are currently available. One of the alternatives is immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) chromatography. The present study is a continuation of our research focused on physiochemical characterization of biologically active derivatives of isoxazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-3(1H)-ones. The main goal of this study was to assess the affinity of isoxazolones to phospholipids using IAM chromatography and compare it with the lipophilicity parameters established by reversed phase chromatography. Quantitative structure–retention relationship (QSRR) modeling of IAM retention using differential evolution coupled with partial least squares (DE-PLS) regression was performed. The results indicate that in the studied group of structurally related isoxazolone derivatives, discrepancies occur between the retention under IAM and RP-LC conditions. Although some correlation between these two chromatographic methods can be found, lipophilicity does not fully explain the affinities of the investigated molecules to phospholipids. QSRR analysis also shows common factors that contribute to retention under IAM and RP-LC conditions. In this context, the significant influences of WHIM and GETAWAY descriptors in all the obtained models should be highlighted.

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography system constant database over an extended mobile phase composition range for 25 siloxane-bonded silica-based columns

The solvation parameter model is used to characterize the retention properties of 25 siloxane-bonded type-B silica columns under typical reversed-phase liquid chromatography conditions with binary aqueous mobile phases containing 10–70% (v/v) methanol and acetonitrile. To further explore the affect of solvent type on column selectivity complementary information is presented for aqueous phases containing 10–70% (v/v) tetrahydrofuran for two columns. Columns were selected to include examples of all common column packing morphologies for small molecule separations (totally porous particles, superficially porous particles, organic–inorganic hybrid particles, and a monolith) and common topologies octadecylsiloxane-bonded (including phases with a polar-embedded group, mixed-mode phases with a short-chain siloxane-bonded polar functional group, sterically crowded, positive shield, and fluorine-containing phases); octylsiloxane-bonded; and various phenyl-containing stationary phases with different linker arms, pentafluorophenylalkyl and biphenyl groups. The column properties are reported as a system constant database and as system maps for the full range of mobile phase compositions. Selectivity differences are evaluated using principal component factor analysis to classify the columns into selectivity groups and correlation plots of the system constants for compared columns at all mobile phase compositions. The later is shown to be a suitable technique to identify (near) selectivity equivalent columns and varied columns suitable for method development. Contributions to retention from steric resistance and cation-exchange interactions not parameterized in the solvation parameter model are identified for columns and conditions where they may be important. It is shown that the interaction parameters employed in the hydrophobic-subtraction model have little overlap with those of the solvation parameter model and a quantitative comparison of column properties delineated by both models is not possible.

Evaluating Chromatographic Approaches for the Quantitative Analysis of a Human Proteome on Orbitrap-Based Mass Spectrometry Systems.

The Orbitrap is now a core component of several different instruments. However, evaluating the capabilities of each system is lacking in the field. Here, we compared the performance of multidimensional protein identification (MudPIT) on Velos Pro Orbitrap and Velos Orbitrap Elite mass spectrometers to reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) on a Q-Exactive Plus and an Orbitrap Fusion Lumos. Using HeLa cell protein digests, we carried out triplicate analyses of 16 different chromatography conditions on four different instrumentation platforms. We first optimized RPLC conditions by varying column lengths, inner diameters, and particle sizes. We found that smaller particle sizes improve results but only with smaller inner diameter microcapillary columns. We then selected one chromatography condition on each system and varied gradient lengths. We used distributed normalized spectral abundance factor (dNSAF) values to determine quantitative reproducibility. With Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient r values routinely above 0.96, single RPLC on both the QE+ and Orbitrap Lumos outperformed MudPIT on the Orbitrap Elite mass spectrometer. In addition, when comparing dNSAF values measured for the same proteins across the different platforms, RPLC on the Orbitrap Lumos had greater sensitivity than MudPIT, as demonstrated by the detection and quantification of histone deacetylase complex components. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier 10.6019/PXD009875.

Simultaneous Separation of Water- and Fat-Soluble Vitamins by Selective Comprehensive HILIC × RPLC (High-Resolution Sampling) and Active Solvent Modulation

The simultaneous liquid chromatographic analysis of water- and fat-soluble vitamins is challenging because of their wide polarity range. Typically, water-soluble vitamins are separated and analyzed by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) while fat-soluble vitamins are analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC). The combination of these two retention principles in a column coupling or multidimensional liquid chromatography approach seems to be a logical consequence to solve the problem. In this work, a selective comprehensive HILIC × RPLC 2D-LC approach is investigated. In this method, the polar water-soluble vitamins are resolved in the first dimension (1D) on a 2-pyridylurea mixed-mode phase operated by a HILIC gradient and the coeluted fat-soluble vitamins in the early part of the chromatogram are comprehensively transferred in ten 40-µL fractions into a second dimension (2D) separation by RPLC on a C8 core–shell column. This mode of separation is also known as high-resolution sampling. The separations in 1D and 2D were optimized systematically and the retention mechanism on the mixed-mode column interpreted by support of these chromatographic data. The solvent incompatibility of 1D HILIC and 2D RPLC conditions due to sampling of acetonitrile-rich fractions from 1D into 2D RPLC led to severe peak broadening when a direct fraction transfer was carried out. An isocratic refocusing step could partly improve the situation for the stronger retained fat-soluble vitamins. Active solvent modulation with a specifically designed valve which allows a bypass of the weak eluent from the 2D pump to the column head and dilution of the fractionated sample from the sampling loop completely solved the problem and provided perfect peak shapes and chromatographic efficiencies.

Assessment of intra-particle diffusion in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography under conditions of identical packing structure

A recently developed stripping protocol to completely remove the stationary phase of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) columns and turn them into hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) columns with identical packing characteristics is used to study the underlying mechanisms of intra-particle diffusion in RPLC and HILIC. The protocol is applied to a column with a large geometrical volume (250×4.6mm, 5μm) to avoid extra-column effects and for compounds with a broad range in retention factors (k” from ∼0.6 to 8). Three types of behavior for the intra-particle diffusion (Dpart/Dm) in RPLC versus HILIC can be distinguished: for nearly unretained compounds (k”<0.6), intra-particle diffusion in HILIC is larger than in RPLC; for compounds with intermediate retention behavior (k”∼0.9–1.2), intra-particle diffusion in HILIC and RPLC are similar; and for well retained compounds (k”>1.8), intra-particle diffusion in RPLC is larger than in HILIC. To explain these observations, diffusion in the stationary phase (γsDs) and in the stagnant mobile phase in the mesopore zone (γmpDm) are deduced from experimentally determined values of the intra-particle diffusion, using models derived from the Effective Medium Theory. It is demonstrated that the larger intra-particle diffusion obtained for slightly retained compounds under HILIC conditions is caused by the higher mesopore diffusion in HILIC (γmp=0.474 for HILIC versus 0.435 for RPLC), while the larger intra-particle diffusion obtained for strongly retained compounds under RPLC conditions can be related to the much higher stationary phase diffusion in RPLC (γsDs/Dm=0.200 for RPLC versus 0.113 for HILIC).

Quantitative structure–chromatographic retention correlations of quinoline derivatives

The aim of our study was to investigate relationships between quinoline derivatives structure and their retention under reversed-phase liquid chromatography conditions. Retention factors of quinolines were experimentally measured and various geometrical and physicochemical parameters representing analytes molecular structure were calculated. Equations connecting chromatographic data with computed characteristics for the set of 17 investigated compounds were constructed. It was shown that the most precise dependencies include combination of physico-chemical and geometrical parameters.

Preparation and investigation of novel pyrrolidinium-bonded stationary phase for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A new ionic liquid-based high-performance liquid chromatography stationary phase is reported. A derivative of N-methyl pyrrolidinium tetrafluoroborate was covalently immobilized on the surface of silica particles to prepare silica-based N-methyl pyrrolidinium tetrafluoroborate (SilprMP BF4) stationary phase. The obtained ionic liquid-modified silica was evaluated and confirmed by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. A column was packed with the modified particles. The retention behavior of aromatic compounds, alkyl benzenes, and acidic and basic compounds on the SilprMP BF4 stationary phase was studied under reversed-phase liquid chromatography conditions. The effect of the eluent pH on the separation of the acidic and basic compounds was also studied. The new stationary phase involves multiple retention mechanisms, such as electrostatic, hydrophobic, ion-dipole, and anion-exchange interactions, which might lead to multipurpose separation media.

How Much Can We Learn from a Single Chromatographic Experiment? A Bayesian Perspective.

In this work, we proposed and investigated a Bayesian inference procedure to find the desired chromatographic conditions based on known analyte properties (lipophilicity, pKa, and polar surface area) using one preliminary experiment. A previously developed nonlinear mixed effect model was used to specify the prior information about a new analyte with known physicochemical properties. Further, the prior (no preliminary data) and posterior predictive distribution (prior + one experiment) were determined sequentially to search towards the desired separation. The following isocratic high-performance reversed-phase liquid chromatographic conditions were sought: (1) retention time of a single analyte within the range of 4-6 min and (2) baseline separation of two analytes with retention times within the range of 4-10 min. The empirical posterior Bayesian distribution of parameters was estimated using the "slice sampling" Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm implemented in Matlab. The simulations with artificial analytes and experimental data of ketoprofen and papaverine were used to test the proposed methodology. The simulation experiment showed that for a single and two randomly selected analytes, there is 97% and 74% probability of obtaining a successful chromatogram using none or one preliminary experiment. The desired separation for ketoprofen and papaverine was established based on a single experiment. It was confirmed that the search for a desired separation rarely requires a large number of chromatographic analyses at least for a simple optimization problem. The proposed Bayesian-based optimization scheme is a powerful method of finding a desired chromatographic separation based on a small number of preliminary experiments.

Systematic evaluation of matrix effects in hydrophilic interaction chromatography versus reversed phase liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

Reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) is the gold standard technique in bioanalysis. However, hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) could represent a viable alternative to RPLC for the analysis of polar and/or ionizable compounds, as it often provides higher MS sensitivity and alternative selectivity. Nevertheless, this technique can be also prone to matrix effects (ME). ME are one of the major issues in quantitative LC⿿MS bioanalysis. To ensure acceptable method performance (i.e., trueness and precision), a careful evaluation and minimization of ME is required. In the present study, the incidence of ME in HILIC⿿MS/MS and RPLC⿿MS/MS was compared for plasma and urine samples using two representative sets of 38 pharmaceutical compounds and 40 doping agents, respectively. The optimal generic chromatographic conditions in terms of selectivity with respect to interfering compounds were established in both chromatographic modes by testing three different stationary phases in each mode with different mobile phase pH. A second step involved the assessment of ME in RPLC and HILIC under the best generic conditions, using the post-extraction addition method.Biological samples were prepared using two different sample pre-treatments, i.e., a non-selective sample clean-up procedure (protein precipitation and simple dilution for plasma and urine samples, respectively) and a selective sample preparation, i.e., solid phase extraction for both matrices. The non-selective pretreatments led to significantly less ME in RPLC vs. HILIC conditions regardless of the matrix. On the contrary, HILIC appeared as a valuable alternative to RPLC for plasma and urine samples treated by a selective sample preparation. Indeed, in the case of selective sample preparation, the compounds influenced by ME were different in HILIC and RPLC, and lower and similar ME occurrence was generally observed in RPLC vs. HILIC for urine and plasma samples, respectively. The complementary of both chromatographic modes was also demonstrated, as ME was observed only scarcely for urine and plasma samples when selecting the most appropriate chromatographic mode.

Evaluation and comparison of the kinetic performance of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography columns in hydrophilic interaction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography conditions

An intrinsic performance comparison is made of the reduction in analysis time that can be obtained when switching from HPLC to UHPLC column formats in HILIC and reversed-phase conditions. A detailed overview of the packing characteristics of both stationary phase types is given first. It is demonstrated that HILIC columns demonstrate higher external porosity values than their reversed-phase counterparts resulting in lower flow resistance values. Column total porosity values determined from the elution time of a small marker molecule are shown to depend strongly on the composition of the mobile phase. To omit errors that might arise from an over- or underestimation of the column void time, all plate height and kinetic plot data are therefore expressed as a function of the interstitial velocity. Although only a limited number of columns are evaluated in this study, it is shown that the column efficiency of the HILIC columns is lower than that of their reversed-phase counterparts, at least for the compounds evaluated here. Despite this lower efficiency, the kinetic performance of both stationary phase types is similar, due to the much lower viscosity of the mobile phases typically used in HILIC conditions. Finally, it is demonstrated that a similar, yet slightly larger reduction in analysis time can be obtained when switching from HPLC column formats to UHPLC formats in HILIC compared to reversed-phase conditions.

Effect of the concentration of organic modifier in an aqueous-ethanol mobile phase on the chromatographic retention and thermodynamic characteristics of the adsorption of enantiomers of α-phenylcarboxylic acids on silica gel with immobilized eremomycin antibiotic

Regularities of the chromatographic retention and thermodynamics of the adsorption of enantiomers of α-phenylcarboxylic acids on a chiral stationary phase with immobilized macrocyclic antibiotic eremomycin under conditions of reversed-phase liquid chromatography with aqueous-ethanol mobile phases are studied. Relationships between the retention characteristics of the acids, the enantioselectivity of their separation, and the concentration of organic modifier in the mobile phase are found. It is shown that the sterical structure of substituents on the chiral atoms of the acids affect the mechanism of retention. The compensation effect in the studied systems is considered.

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography versus reversed phase liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry: Effect of electrospray ionization source geometry on sensitivity

In this study, the influence of electrospray ionization (ESI) source design on the overall sensitivity achieved in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), was investigated. State-of-the-art triple quadrupole mass analyzers from AB Sciex, Agilent Technologies and Waters equipped with brand specific source geometries were tested with various mobile phase pH on 53 pharmaceutical compounds. The design of the ESI source showed to strongly influence the gain in sensitivity that can be achieved in HILIC compared to RPLC mode. The 6460 Triple Quadrupole LC/MS system from Agilent Technologies was particularly affected by mobile phase settings. Indeed, compared to RPLC conditions, 92% of the compounds had an increased signal-to-noise ratio at a flow rate of 300μL/min in HILIC mode at pH 6, while this percentage dropped to only 7% at 1000μL/min and pH 3. In contrast, the influence of flow rate and mobile phase pH on the gain in sensitivity between RPLC and HILIC was found very limited with the API 5000™ LC/MS/MS system from AB Sciex, as only 15 to 36% of the tested compounds showed an enhanced sensitivity in HILIC mode. With the Xevo TQ-S instrument from Waters, superior sensitivity in HILIC was noticed for 85% of the compounds with optimal conditions (i.e., pH 3 and 1000μL/min), whereas at sub-optimal conditions (i.e. pH 6 and 300μL/min), it represented less than 50%. The gain in sensitivity observed in HILIC was found less significant with the recent LC–MS platforms used in this study than for old-generation instruments. Indeed, the improved ESI sources equipping the recent mass analyzers allow for enhanced evaporation efficiency, mainly for RPLC mobile phases containing high proportion of water and this even at high flow rates

Application of screening experimental designs to assess chromatographic isotope effect upon isotope-coded derivatization for quantitative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Isotope effect may cause partial chromatographic separation of labeled (heavy) and unlabeled (light) isotopologue pairs. Together with a simultaneous matrix effect, this could lead to unacceptable accuracy in quantitative liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry assays, especially when electrospray ionization is used. Four biologically relevant reactive aldehydes (acrolein, malondialdehyde, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, and 4-oxo-2-nonenal) were derivatized with light or heavy (d3-, 13C6-, 15N2-, or 15N4-labeled) 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine and used as model compounds to evaluate chromatographic isotope effects. For comprehensive assessment of retention time differences between light/heavy pairs under various gradient reversed-phase liquid chromatography conditions, major chromatographic parameters (stationary phase, mobile phase pH, temperature, organic solvent, and gradient slope) and different isotope labelings were addressed by multiple-factor screening using experimental designs that included both asymmetrical (Addelman) and Plackett–Burman schemes followed by statistical evaluations. Results confirmed that the most effective approach to avoid chromatographic isotope effect is the use of 15N or 13C labeling instead of deuterium labeling, while chromatographic parameters had no general influence. Comparison of the alternate isotope-coded derivatization assay (AIDA) using deuterium versus 15N labeling gave unacceptable differences (>15%) upon quantifying some of the model aldehydes from biological matrixes. On the basis of our results, we recommend the modification of the AIDA protocol by replacing d3-2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine with 15N- or 13C-labeled derivatizing reagent to avoid possible unfavorable consequences of chromatographic isotope effects.

Preparation and retention mechanism of a mixed-mode reversedphase/strong-cationic-exchange chromatographic packing

A simple and efficient method has been proposed for the preparation of octyl-sulfonic co-bonded silica (OSS) packing by the method of "mixed ligand". The resulting OSS packing was characterized by elemental analysis and ion-exchange capacity to prove the successful immobilization of octyl and sulfonic groups on the surface of silica gel. Then the retention mechanism of several basic analytes on the developed OSS phases was evaluated under the conditions of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) mobile phase. The results indicated that the OSS stationary phases demonstrated a mixed-mode reversed-phase/strong-cationic-exchange (RP/SCX) retention mechanism and ion-exchange interaction maybe dominate the retention of the basic analytes. By changing the salt concentration of mobile phase, the one-site and two-site mixed-mode retention models of the several basic analytes on the OSS phases were obtained by investigating the logarithm and reciprocal relationships of retention factor and salt concentration. On the basis of the linear fitting of the two mathematical equations of the retention models, the experimental results demonstrated that the two-site model was more suitable for the description of the retention mechanism of the basic analytes on the OSS phases. Furthermore, the individual RP or SCX contribution to total retention was obtained according to the mathematical equations of the two-site retention mechanism, which can provide some valuable guidance for the separation of complex samples.

Surface Diffusion in C18-Silica Monolithic Stationary Phase

A peak parking-moment analysis method was used for the measurement of surface diffusion coefficient (D(s)) in a reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) system consisting of a C(18)-silica monolithic column and a mixture of methanol and water (70/30, v/v). The D(s) values experimentally measured were analyzed by considering the correlation with corresponding values of molecular diffusivity (D(m)) and the retention equilibrium constant (K(a)). It seems that the correlation between D(s)/D(m) and K(a) is represented by a single curve irrespective of the RPLC conditions of temperature and the type of sample compounds. The increase in K(a) is accompanied with the decrease in D(s)/D(m). Oppositely, the ratio of D(s)/D(m) increases and approaches around unity when K(a) infinitely decreases. It seems that surface diffusion is originally similar to molecular diffusion and that it is restricted due to the sample retention. These characteristics of surface diffusion are the same between the C(18)-silica monolithic stationary phase and the conventional C(18)-silica gel particles. In addition, the values of K(a) and D(s) are also comparable between them. It is concluded that basic properties concerning the retention equilibrium and surface diffusion of the C(18)-silica monolithic stationary phase are almost the same as those of the conventional C(18)-silica gel particles in spite of the difference between their structural characteristics.