Modeling solvation on the chemically modified silica surfaces

Column Characterization and Selection Systems in Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) is the most popular chromatographic mode, accounting for more than 90% of all separations. HPLC itself owes its immense popularity to it being relatively simple and inexpensive, with the equipment being reliable and easy to operate. Due to extensive automation, it can be run virtually unattended with multiple samples at various separation conditions, even by relatively low-skilled personnel. Currently, there are >600 RP-HPLC columns available to end users for purchase, some of which exhibit very large differences in selectivity and production quality. Often, two similar RP-HPLC columns are not equally suitable for the requisite separation, and to date, there is no universal RP-HPLC column covering a variety of analytes. This forces analytical laboratories to keep a multitude of diverse columns. Therefore, column selection is a crucial segment of RP-HPLC method development, especially since sample complexity is constantly increasing. Rationally choosing an appropriate column is complicated. In addition to the differences in the primary intermolecular interactions with analytes of the dispersive (London) type, individual columns can also exhibit a unique character owing to specific polar, hydrogen bond, and electron pair donor-acceptor interactions. They can also vary depending on the type of packing, amount and type of residual silanols, "end-capping", bonding density of ligands, and pore size, among others. Consequently, the chromatographic performance of RP-HPLC systems is often considerably altered depending on the selected column. Although a wide spectrum of knowledge is available on this important subject, there is still a lack of a comprehensive review for an objective comparison and/or selection of chromatographic columns. We aim for this review to be a comprehensive, authoritative, critical, and easily readable monograph of the most relevant publications regarding column selection and characterization in RP-HPLC covering the past four decades. Future perspectives, which involve the integration of state-of-the-art molecular simulations (molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo) with minimal experiments, aimed at nearly "experiment-free" column selection methodology, are proposed.

A simple method for measuring excess adsorption isotherms of organic eluent components on reversed-phase packing materials

A simple frontal analysis method has been developed for the reliable measurement of excess adsorption isotherms of an organic component on reversed-phase adsorbents in a series of programmed concentration steps. In the present method, a peak, which is produced by refractive index change in column eluate, is detected at 589 nm; it represents the elution volume of the boundary. The method is applied to the measurement of the excess adsorption isotherms of organic eluent components from water on commercially available reversed-phase stationary phases. The results are in good agreement with the previously reported isotherms. We also measure the excess adsorption isotherms of organic eluent components from solutions containing electrolytes. There are not any interference peaks on the elution traces. The method is thus reliably applicable to the evaluation of the excess adsorption of organic eluent components in practical systems.

Molecular simulation studies of reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Over the past 20 years, molecular simulation methods have been applied to the modeling of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC). The purpose of these simulations was to provide a molecular-level understanding of: (i) the structure and dynamics of the bonded phase and its interface with the mobile phase, (ii) the interactions of analytes with the bonded phase, and (iii) the retention mechanism for different analytes. However, the investigation of chromatographic systems poses significant challenges for simulations with respect to the accuracy of the molecular mechanics force fields and the efficiency of the sampling algorithms. This review discusses a number of aspects concerning molecular simulation studies of RPLC systems including the historical development of the subject, the background needed to understand the two prevalent techniques, molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo (MC) methods, and the wealth of insight provided by these simulations. Examples from the literature employing MD approaches and from the authors' laboratory using MC methods are discussed. The former can provide information on chain dynamics and transport properties, whereas the latter techniques are uniquely suited for the investigation of phase and sorption equilibria that underly RPLC retention, and both can be used to elucidate the bonded-chain conformations and solvent distributions.

New alkyl-phosphate bonded stationary phases for liquid chromatographic separation of biologically active compounds

A new type of bonded stationary phase for liquid chromatography, with the properties of immobilized artificial membranes, has been synthesized. Alkyl-phosphate adsorbents were obtained by modification of aminopropyl silica gel. The structures of the synthesized materials were confirmed by use of instrumental techniques—elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ¹³ C and ²⁹Si CP/MAS NMR. Analysis revealed that the adsorbents mimic the phospholipids present in natural cell membranes. The new synthesized alkyl-phosphate stationary phases may be used for liquid chromatographic separation of biologically active compounds of different polarity.