Support-free Liquid Stationary Phase Research Articles

Preparative separation of bioactive constitutes from Zanthoxylum planispinum using linear gradient counter-current chromatography.

Counter-current chromatography is a chromatographic technique with a support-free liquid stationary phase. In the present study, a successful application of linear gradient counter-current chromatographic method for preparative isolation of bioactive components from the crude ethanol extract of Zanthoxylum planispinum was presented. The application of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water quaternary solvents, in terms of "HEMWat" or "Arizona" solvent families, in gradient elution mode was evaluated. Results indicated that slightly proportional changes of biphasic liquid systems provided the possibility of gradient elution in counter-current chromatography, maintaining stationary phase retention in the column. With the selected quaternary solvent systems composed of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (2:1:2:1 and 3:2:3:2, v/v), and optimized gradient programs, in total seven fractions were separated in 4.5 h. Most of the purified compounds could be obtained at the milligram level with over 80% purity. The present study indicated that the linear gradient counter-current chromatographic approach possessed unique advantages in terms of separation efficiency, exhibiting great potential for the comprehensive separation of complex natural extracts.

EFFECTIVE COUNTER-CURRENT CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHOD FOR ONE-STEP PREPARATIVE ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION OF ANTHRAGLYCOSIDE B FROM Begonia fimbristipula USING ELUTION-EXTRUSION SEPARATION MODE

Counter-current chromatography (CCC) is a chromatographic technique with a support-free liquid stationary phase. Elution-extrusion CCC (EECCC) takes full advantage of the liquid nature of the stationary phase and effectively extends the hydrophobicity window with any biphasic liquid system. In this study, a preparative EECCC method for isolation and purification of anthraglycoside B from the ethanol extract of Begonia fimbristipula was successfully established by using n-hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water as the two-phase solvent system. The upper phase of n-hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (1:6:1:6, v/v) was used as the stationary phase of HSCCC. Under the optimum conditions, 26 mg of anthraglycoside B at 97.8% purity, as determined by UPLC, could be yielded from 500 mg of the crude extract in a single EECCC separation. The peak fraction of CCC was identified by 1H NMR and 13C NMR.

Separation of alkaloids from herbs using high‐speed counter‐current chromatography

Alkaloids represent a most widespread group of bioactive natural products. Because of their alkalinity and structural diversity, the fractionation and purification of the alkaloids from herbs can often present a number of practical difficulties using the conventional chromatographic techniques. High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) is a liquid-liquid partition chromatography with a support-free liquid stationary phase, and is gaining more and more popularity as a viable separation technique for bioactive compounds from natural resources. In the present review, focus is placed on the separation of alkaloids by both conventional HSCCC and pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography (CCC) techniques from herbs. The review presents the separation of over 120 different alkaloid compounds from more than 30 plant species by the conventional HSCCC and pH-zone-refining CCC. Based on the data from the literature, the proper solvent systems for the separation of alkaloids by the conventional HSCCC and pH-zone-refining CCC are also summarized.

Hydrophobicity of ionisable compounds studied by countercurrent chromatography

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a liquid chromatography technique in which the stationary phase is also a liquid. The main chemical process involved in solute separation is partitioning between the two immiscible liquid phases: the mobile phase and the support-free liquid stationary phase. The octanol–water partition coefficients (Po/w) is the accepted parameter measuring the hydrophobicity of molecules. It is considered to estimate active principle partitioning over a biomembrane. It was related to the substance biological activity. CCC is able to work with an octanol stationary phase and an aqueous mobile phase. In this configuration, CCC is a useful and easy alternative to measure directly the Po/w of the molecules compared to other methods including the classical and tedious shake-flask method. Three ketones are used as model compounds to illustrate the CCC protocol of Po/w measurement. The focus of this work is put on ionisable molecules whose apparent Po/w is completely changed by ionization. β-Blockers, diuretics and sulfonamides are compound classes that were studied. Some of the experimentally determined Po/w coefficients of the molecular forms disagreed with calculated and experimental values available in the literature. The Po/w coefficients of the ionic forms and the acidity constants were also calculated using a theoretical model. Relationships between biological properties and hydrophobicity are also discussed.

Using the liquid nature of the stationary phase. VI. Theoretical study of multi-dual mode countercurrent chromatography

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a separation technique using a biphasic liquid system and centrifugal forces to maintain a support-free liquid stationary phase. Either one of the two phases can be the liquid stationary phase. It is even possible to switch the phase role during the separation. The dual-mode method is revisited recalling its theoretical background. The multi-dual mode (MDM) CCC method was introduced to enhance the resolution power of a CCC column. The theoretical study of the MDM method is validated by modeling the separation of two solutes. The basic hypothesis is that the forward step (partial classical elution) is followed by a backward step that returns the less retained solute to the column head. The equations show that the most important parameter to maximize resolution is not the number of MDM steps but the total volume of liquid phases used to elute the solutes. The model is validated calculating correctly the peak position of previously published MDM experiments.

Countercurrent chromatography in analytical chemistry (IUPAC Technical Report)

Abstract Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is a generic term covering all forms of liquid-liquid chromatography that use a support-free liquid stationary phase held in place by a simple centrifugal or complex centrifugal force field. Biphasic liquid systems are used with one liquid phase being the stationary phase and the other being the mobile phase. Although initiated almost 30 years ago, CCC lacked reliable columns. This is changing now, and the newly designed centrifuges appearing on the market make excellent CCC columns. This review focuses on the advantages of a liquid stationary phase and addresses the chromatographic theory of CCC. The main difference with classical liquid chromatography (LC) is the variable volume of the stationary phase. There are mainly two different ways to obtain a liquid stationary phase using centrifugal forces, the hydrostatic way and the hydrodynamic way. These two kinds of CCC columns are described and compared. The reported applications of CCC in analytical chemistry and comparison with other separation and enrichment methods show that the technique can be successfully used in the analysis of plants and other natural products, for the separation of biochemicals and pharmaceuticals, for the separation of alkaloids from medical herbs, in food analysis, etc. On the basis of the studies of the last two decades, recommendations are also given for the application of CCC in trace inorganic analysis and in radioanalytical chemistry.

Advantages of a small-volume counter-current chromatography column

Counter-current chromatography (CCC) works with a support-free liquid stationary phase. This allows for preparative separations and purifications. However, there are serious technical constraints because of the need to keep a liquid stationary phase in a column. Centrifugal fields are used. A new commercial hydrodynamic 18 mL column made with a narrow-bore 0.8 mm Teflon tubing was evaluated by comparing it with older hydrodynamic CCC columns and a similar 19 mL column but made with 1.6 mm Teflon tubing. A small-volume CCC column allows for reliable and fast solute partition coefficient determination. When resolution is required, both high efficiency and liquid stationary phase retention are needed. Unfortunately, these two requirements bear technical contradictions. A column coiled with a narrow tubing bore will provide a high chromatographic efficiency while a column containing wider tubing bore will achieve higher stationary phase retention. In all cases, increasing the magnitude of the centrifugal field also increases the stationary phase retention. The solution is to build centrifuges able to produce high fields that will provide acceptable liquid phase retention with narrow-bore tubes. The new 18 mL 0.8 mm tubing bore column is able to rotate as fast as 2100 rpm generating a 240 × g field. The two older CCC columns cannot compete with the new one. However, the small 19 mL column with 1.6 mm bore tubing can be useful when fast results are desired without top resolution.

Separation of U and Pu by countercurrent chromatography with support-free liquid stationary phase in the TBP white spirit nitric acid system

The article deals with the use of countercurrent chromatography (CCC), support-free partition chromatography, for separation of U and Pu from the organic extract obtained directly by the dissolution of MOX fuel in supercritical CO2 containing the complex TBP · nHNO3. White spirit solutions with various TBP concentrations were used as a stationary phase. The effects of the compositions of the stationary and mobile phases on the U/Pu partition efficiency are studied. The CCC method allows the separation of U and Pu under conditions of a TBP concentration gradient in the stationary phase and also of an HNO3 concentration gradient in the mobile phase. Chromatographic separation first gives the Pu fraction containing 98.9% of Pu and 0.07% of U, and then the U fraction (99.93% of U and 1.1% of Pu). The separation time is 50 min.