Preparation and application of hydrophilic monolithic columns

Preparation and evaluation of a piperidinium-sulfonate based zwitterionic monolith for HILIC separation

In this study, a novel piperidinium-sulfonate based zwitterionic hydrophilic monolith was prepared through thermally initiated co-polymerization of a piperidinium-sulfonate monomer 3-(4-((methacryloyloxy)methyl)-1-methylpiperidin-1-ium-1-yl)propane-1-sulfonate (MAMMPS), and a hydrophilic crosslinker N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) using n-propanol and H2O as porogenic system. Satisfactory mechanical and chemical stabilities, good repeatability and high column efficiency (120,000 N/m) were obtained on the optimal monolith. The resulting poly(MAMMPS-co-MBA) monolith showed a typical HILIC retention behavior over an ACN content range between 5 and 95 %. Furthermore, this column exhibited good separation performance for various polar compounds. Compared to quaternary ammonium-sulfonate based zwitterionic hydrophilic monolith, i.e. poly(N,N-dimethyl-N-methacryloxyethyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium betaine-co-MBA), the poly(MAMMPS-co-MBA) monolith displayed stronger retention and better selectivity for the tested phenolic and amine compounds at different pH conditions. Finally, this column was applied for the separation of six sulfonamide antibiotics, and the analytical characteristics of the method were evaluated in terms of precision, repeatability, limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ). Overall, this study not only developed a novel HILIC monolithic column, but also proved the potential of piperidinium-sulfonate based zwitterionic chemistry as stationary phase, which further increased the structure diversity of zwitterionic HILIC stationary phases.

A comprehensive evaluation of a polymeric zwitterionic hydrophilic monolith for nucleotide separation

Rapid and effective separation of nucleotides (NTs) and their derivatives is crucial for studying their physiological functions. In this work, we comprehensively evaluated the separation ability of a zwitterionic hydrophilic monolith, i.e., poly(N,N-dimethyl-N-(3-methacrylamidopropyl)-N-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium betaine-co-N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) (poly(SPP-co-MBA)) for NTs analysis, including its selectivity, chemical stability under extremely basic condition and compatibility with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) coupled with mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS). The poly(SPP-co-MBA) monolith exhibited excellent chemical stability, as evidenced by the low relative standard deviation of retention time (0.16-1.05%) after 4000 consecutive injections over one month under strong alkaline elution condition (pH 10). After optimizing the separation conditions, including buffer pH and concentration, organic solvent content and column temperature, four nucleoside triphosphates, five nucleoside diphosphates and five nucleoside monophosphates were baseline separated within 7 min. Additionally, the mixtures containing one nucleoside and its corresponding mono-, di-, and triphosphates were baseline separated within only 3 min, respectively. It is good HILIC-MS compatibility was also confirmed by the satisfactory peak shape and high response of nine NTs. Overall, the proposed poly(SPP-co-MBA) monolith exhibited good mechanical stability and compatibility of HILIC-MS, making it a promising technique for NTs analysis.

Mixed-mode chromatographic performance using nicotinic acid-functionalized chito-oligosaccharide-bonded Ti/Si hybrid monolithic capillary columns

This article describes the fabrication of porous nicotinic acid-functionalized chito-oligosaccharide-bonded titania/silica hybrid monoliths (TiO2/SiO2@ChO-N) through a co-gelation sol-gel process. A capillary monolith with a well-defined and homogeneous structure was obtained by controlling the hydrolysis speed of titanium alkoxides in a sol mixture by using glycerol and acetylacetone. As a result of the functionalization with chito-oligosaccharides (ChO)-modified nicotinic acid, the obtained stationary phase provides superior physiochemical properties, such as a cationic hydrophilic surface, porosity, and mechanical strength. Scanning electron microscope and attenuated total reflectance-infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the functionalized monolithic columns. The produced capillary columns showed high chromatographic performance with acceptable selectivity for charged analytes as well as organic polar compounds such as nucleic bases, nucleosides, carbamate pesticides, and strobilurin fungicides. The obtained results also indicated that the functionalized ChO's amino, amide, hydroxyl, and pyridinium ring moieties served as hydrophilic electrostatic traps for charged substances, in addition to stroing π-π interaction with the carbamate pesticides and strobilurin fungicides analytes via hydrogen bonding.

A protocol for fabrication of polymer monolithic capillary columns and tuning the morphology targeting high-resolution bioanalysis in gradient-elution liquid chromatography

Polymer monolithic stationary phases are designed as a continuous interconnected globular material perfused by macropores. Like packed column, where separation efficiency is related to particle diameter, the efficiency of monoliths can be enhanced by tuning the size of both the microglobules and macropores. This protocol described the synthesis of poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) monolithic stationary phases in capillary column formats. Moreover, guidelines are provided to tune the macropore structure targeting high-throughput and high-resolution monolith chromatography. The versatility of these columns is exemplified by their ability to separate tryptic digests, intact proteins, and oligonucleotides under a variety of chromatographic conditions. The repeatability of the presented column fabrication process is demonstrated by the successful creation of 12 columns in three different column batches, as evidenced by the consistency of retention times (coefficients of variance [c.v.] = 0.9%), peak widths (c.v. = 4.7%), and column pressures (c.v. = 3.1%) across the batches.

In-Depth Performance Analysis and Comparison of Monolithic and Particulate Zwitterionic Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography Polymer Columns

The kinetic performance of different zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography polymer columns is evaluated and compared in-depth. For this purpose, two lab-made monolithic columns, synthesized with different crosslinkers, and a commercial particle packed column are considered. It is found that performance evaluation techniques, such as comparing plate height curves or fitted A-, B- and C-terms, obtained by fitting experimental plate height data to a plate height model, are complicated by the determination of a reliable characteristic length. This is due to the very different morphology of these column types, and the heterogeneity of the monolithic columns. The occurrence of a convective flow through the packed particle column further complicates the interpretation of the obtained fitting parameters, as part of the C-term is wrongfully attributed to the A-term. Therefore, the use of the kinetic plot method is suggested for the comparative evaluation of these columns, as kinetic plots do not require the determination of a characteristic length, nor rely on any fitting parameters. With the kinetic plot method, it is demonstrated that the lab-made monolithic columns outperform the packed particle column for plate counts between 10,000 and 800,000. This is attributed to the higher column efficiency of these columns, due to their small domain and skeleton sizes, and their high permeability, resulting from their high external porosity and the occasional occurrence of preferential flow paths.

Trends in monoliths: Packings, stationary phases and nanoparticles

Monoliths media are gaining interest as excellent substitutes to conventional particle-packed columns. Monolithic columns show higher permeability and lower flow resistance than conventional liquid chromatography columns, providing high-throughput performance, resolution and separation in short run times. Monolithic columns with longer length, smaller inner diameter and specific selectivity to peptides or enantiomers have been played important role in hyphenated system. Monolithic stationary phases possess great efficiency, resolution, selectivity and sensitivity in the separation of complex biological samples, such as the complex mixtures of peptides for proteome analysis. The development of monolithic stationary phases has opened the new avenue in chromatographic separation science and is in turn playing much more important roles in the wide application area. Monolithic stationary phases have been widely used in fast and high efficiency one- and multi-dimensional separation systems, miniaturized devices, and hyphenated system coupled with mass spectrometers. The developing technology for preparation of monolithic stationary phases is revolutionizing the column technology for the separation of complex biological samples. These techniques using porous monoliths offer several advantages, including miniaturization and on-line coupling with analytical instruments. Additionally, monoliths are ideal support media for imprinting template-specific sites, resulting in the so-called molecularly-imprinted monoliths, with ultra-high selectivity. In this review, the origin of the concept, the differences between their characteristics and those of traditional packings, their advantages and drawbacks, theory of separations, the methods for the monoliths preparation of different forms, nanoparticle monoliths and metal-organic framework are discussed. Two application areas of monolithic metal-organic framework and nanoparticle monoliths are provided. The review article discusses the results reported in a total of 218 references. Other older references were included to illustrate the historical development of monoliths, both in preparation and types, as well as separation mechanism.

Styrene-based polymerised high internal phase emulsions using monomers in the internal phase as co-surfactants for improved liquid chromatography

Poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene)-based monoliths were prepared from the polymerisation of water-in-monomer high internal phase emulsions, where the water-soluble monomers acrylamide (AAm) or poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) (M_w 258) were also included in the 90 vol% internal phase. Both AAm and PEGDA were found to act as co-surfactants, resulting in the obtainment of monoliths with greater homogeneity in some cases. As a result these materials demonstrated significantly improved chromatographic performance for the separation of a standard mixture of proteins using reversed-phase liquid chromatography, in comparison to monoliths prepared with no internal phase monomer. In particular, the columns grafted with PEGDA were capable of separating a more complex mixture consisting of seven components. The inclusion of monomers in the internal phase also allowed for the functionalisation of the monolith's surface where the degree of polymerisation that occurred in the internal phase, which was governed by the monomer content in the internal phase and initiation location, determined whether polymeric chains or a hydrogel were grafted to the surface. A monolith grafted with AAm was also found to be capable of retaining polar analytes as a result of the increase in surface hydrophilicity.

Poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene)-based monoliths prepared from the polymerisation of water-in-monomer high internal phase emulsions, where water-soluble monomers acrylamide or poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (M_w 258) were included in internal phase.

Poly(acrylamide-co-N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) Monoliths for High-Peak-Capacity Hydrophilic-Interaction Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry of Intact Proteins at Low Trifluoroacetic Acid Content

In this study, we optimized a polymerization mixture to synthesize poly(acrylamide-co-N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide) monolithic stationary phases for hydrophilic-interaction chromatography (HILIC) of intact proteins. Thermal polymerization was performed, and the effects of varying the amount of cross-linker and the porogen composition on the separation performance of the resulting columns were studied. The homogeneity of the structure and the different porosities were examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further characterization of the monolithic structure revealed a permeable (K_f between 2.5 × 10^–15 and 1.40 × 10^–13 m²) and polar stationary phase suitable for HILIC. The HILIC separation performance of the different columns was assessed using gradient separation of a sample containing four intact proteins, with the best performing stationary phase exhibiting a peak capacity of 51 in a gradient of 25 min. Polyacrylamide-based materials were compared with a silica-based particulate amide phase (2.7 μm core–shell particles). The monolith has no residual silanol sites and, therefore, fewer sites for ion-exchange interactions with proteins. Thus, it required lower concentrations of ion-pair reagent in HILIC of intact proteins. When using 0.1% of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), the peak capacities of the two columns were similar (30 and 34 for the monolithic and packed column, respectively). However, when decreasing the concentration of TFA to 0.005%, the monolithic column maintained similar separation performance and selectivity (peak capacity 23), whereas the packed column showed greatly reduced performance (peak capacity 12), lower selectivity, and inability to elute all four reference proteins. Finally, using a mobile phase containing 0.1% formic acid and 0.005% TFA, the HILIC separation on the monolithic column was successfully hyphenated with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Detection sensitivity for protein and glycoproteins was increased and the amount of adducts formed was decreased in comparison with separations performed at 0.1% TFA.

Phosphatidylethanolamine functionalized biomimetic monolith for immobilized artificial membrane chromatography

In this research, a new phospholipid based monolith was fabricated by in situ co-polymerization of 1-dodecanoyl-2-(11-methacrylamidoundecanoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine and ethylene dimethacrylate to mimick bio-membrane environment. Excellent physicochemical properties of this novel monolith that were achieved included column efficiency, stability, and permeability. Moreover, the biomimetic monolith showed outstanding separation capability for a series of intact proteins and small molecules. In particular, it exhibited good potential as an alternative to the commercial immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) column (IAM.PC.DD2) for studying drug-membrane interactions. This study not only enriched the types of IAM stationary phases, but also provided a simple model for the prediction of phosphatidylethanolamine related properties of drug candidates.

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A novel phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) functionalized immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) monolithic column was developed.

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The composition of the polymerization mixtures used for the preparation of poly(MDSPE-co-EDMA) monolithic columns was optimized for micro-LC applications.

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The biomimetic monolith exhibited good separation selectivity for both intact proteins and small molecules.

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The biomimetic monolith exhibited great potential as a replacement of commercial IAM columns for studying drug-membrane interactions.

Rapid preparation and characterization of a bridged bis(β-cyclodextrin) functionalized urea–formaldehyde monolithic column by a “one-pot” approach

A new bridged-CD monolith was prepared by “one-pot” method within 30 minutes. The obtained bridged-CD monolith showed satisfactory enantioselectivity compared to a native-CD monolith.

Organic polymer monolithic columns with incorporated bare and cyano-modified fumed silica nanoparticles for use in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

This research article presents the preparation and characterization of monolithic columns with incorporated bare fumed silica nanoparticles (FSNPs) and cyano-modified FNSPs (CN-FSNPs) and their subsequent use in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) of neutral, polar, and low molecular weight solutes. The monolithic support was based on the in situ polymerization of glyceryl monomethacrylate (GMM) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) yielding the poly(GMM-co-EDMA) monolith for the incorporation of bare FNSPs and of CN-FSNPs. The poly(GMM-co-EDMA) functioned as a “true support” for bare FSNPs and CN-FSNPs “stationary phases” as manifested by bare FSNPs and CN-FSNPs being the major contributors to solute retention and column selectivity. Overall, the prepared bare FSNPs and CN-FSNPs stationary phases proved useful in HILIC of small polar solutes including dimethylformamide, formamide, thiourea, nucleobases, nucleosides, organic acids, food additives, vitamins, and biological amines.

Development and Evaluation of HILIC-type Sorbents Modified with Hydrophilic Copolymers for Solid-phase Extraction

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) has attractive attention for the separation of water-soluble compounds via HPLC. There are, however, few studies on the pretreatment of the HILIC-type solid-phase extraction (SPE) due to the difficulty of obtaining the HILIC-type sorbent. Therefore, the development of HILIC-type sorbents for SPE is essential. In this study, four different hydrophilic copolymers, namely diallylamine-maleic acid copolymer (DAM), diallylamine-acrylamide copolymer (DAA), allylamine-maleic acid copolymer (MAM), and partly methylcarbonylated allylamine acetate copolymer (MAC), were immobilized on glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)-base resin, and their adsorptive properties were evaluated. The results of the physical and adsorptive properties indicated that a balance between the water content of the water-enriched layer on sorbent and the amount of hydrophilic copolymer immobilized on the GMA-base resin was vital for the adsorption in HILIC-type sorbent for SPE.

Strong hydrophilic monolithic column functionalized with amphiphilic benzyl quinine for capillary electrochromatography and application in pharmaceutical analysis

An innovative strong hydrophilic organic polymer monolithic column of poly(N-benzylquininium chloride-co-1, 3, 5-triacryloylhexahydro-1, 3, 5-triazine) (poly(NBQ-co-TAT)) has been successfully synthesized through in situ copolymerization for capillary electrochromatography. The amphiphilic monomer NBQ and the strong polar cross-linker TAT are firstly used in hydrophilic electrochromatography by taking advantage of the exhibition of hydrophilicity at lower levels of organic solvent and ease formation of porous structure. The monolithic column poly(NBQ-co-TAT) shows powerful hydrophilic selectivity with mobile phase containing more than 60% organic solvent. The introduction of NBQ and TAT enlarges the sources of functional monomers and cross-linkers for HILIC. Due to the presence of the positively charged group in NBQ, an anodic electroosmotic flow is generated with the change of pH values from 2.0 to 12.0. The monolithic column was used for the separations of thioureas, phenols, xanthines, nucleobases, acidic substances and pharmaceuticals. The highest column efficiency for N, N'-dimethylthiourea is 1.15 × 10⁵ N m^-1. The application of the monolithic column for a real sample, cytochrome C digestion indicates its great potential in practical application.

Challenges and Advances in the Fabrication of Monolithic Bioseparation Materials and their Applications in Proteomics Research

High-performance liquid chromatography integrated with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) has become a powerful technique for proteomics research. Its performance heavily depends on the separation efficiency of HPLC, which in turn depends on the chromatographic material. As the "heart" of the HPLC system, the chromatographic material is required to achieve excellent column efficiency and fast analysis. Monolithic materials, fabricated as continuous supports with interconnected skeletal structure and flow-through pores, are regarded as an alternative to particle-packed columns. Such materials are featured with easy preparation, fast mass transfer, high porosity, low back pressure, and miniaturization, and are next-generation separation materials for high-throughput proteins and peptides analysis. Herein, the recent progress regarding the fabrication of various monolithic materials is reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on studies of the fabrication of monolithic capillary columns and their applications in separation of biomolecules by capillary liquid chromatography (cLC). The applications of monolithic materials in the digestion, enrichment, and separation of phosphopeptides and glycopeptides from biological samples are also considered. Finally, advances in comprehensive 2D HPLC separations using monolithic columns are also shown.

One-pot preparation of zwitterionic sulfoalkylbetaine monolith for rapid and efficient separation of lysozyme from egg white

A porous zwitterionic monolithic column was prepared to rapidly and efficiently separate lysozyme from egg white. The monolith was synthesized in a stainless steel HPLC column (5 cm × 4.6 mm i.d.) by in-situ thermal initiated co-polymerization of N,N-dimethyl-N-methacryloxyethyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium betaine (MSA) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA). Due to the combination of quaternary ammonium and sulfonic groups on the monolithic matrix in one-pot process, the hydrophobic carbon chain and hydrophilic radical were obtained, which provided multiple driving forces for neutral, basic and acidic analytes, thus mix-mode chromatography mechanism contributed to the retention of different charged proteins. Properties such as composition, morphology and stability of the MSA-co-EDMA monolithic column were characterized by various analytical methods and the results showed that the monolith has large through-pores, good hydrophilicity and permeability. The effects of mobile phase pH and ionic strength on proteins were investigated, drawing the conclusion that the main adsorption and elution mechanism of lysozyme on MSA-co-EDMA monolith was electrostatic interaction, while those of other proteins included hydrophobic, hydrophilic and electrostatic interactions. Therefore, efficient separation of lysozyme and other proteins could be successfully achieved by switching the pH of mobile phase. Lysozyme can be adsorbed using 20 mmol/L phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) and eluted with 20 mmol/L phosphate buffer (pH 2.0). To prove the practicality of the monolithic column, it was also applied in the separation of lysozyme in egg white, which means the work has the potential for further development in proteome analysis of real biological samples.

Controlling selectivity of polymer-based monolithic stationary phases

In this work, we aimed to prepare a monolithic capillary column that allowed an isocratic separation of ten dopamine precursors and metabolites in a single run. Segments of five zwitterion sulfobetaine polymer monoliths have been modified by zwitterion phoshorylcholine by using an ultraviolet-initiated two-step photografting. Columns with 0, 33, 50, 66, and 100% of modified length were prepared. Effect of length of the modified segment and mobile phase composition has been tested. All columns provided dual-retention mechanism with reversed-phase retention in highly aqueous mobile phase and hydrophilic interaction mechanism in highly organic mobile phase. The retention mechanism was controlled by the composition of the mobile phase and has been described by a three-parameter model. We have used regression parameters to characterize the retention of analyzed compounds and to study individual pathways of dopamine metabolism. Comprehensive optimization of mobile phase composition allowed to find an optimal composition of the mobile phase and stationary phase surface chemistry arrangement to achieve desired separation. Optimized columns provided an isocratic separation of all tested compounds in less than nine min.

Chemometric-assisted method development in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography: A review

With an enormous growth in the application of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC), there has also been significant progress in HILIC method development. HILIC is a chromatographic method that utilises hydro-organic mobile phases with a high organic content, and a hydrophilic stationary phase. It has been applied predominantly in the determination of small polar compounds. Theoretical studies in computer-aided modelling tools, most importantly the predictive, quantitative structure retention relationship (QSRR) modelling methods, have attracted the attention of researchers and these approaches greatly assist the method development process. This review focuses on the application of computer-aided modelling tools in understanding the retention mechanism, the classification of HILIC stationary phases, prediction of retention times in HILIC systems, optimisation of chromatographic conditions, and description of the interaction effects of the chromatographic factors in HILIC separations. Additionally, what has been achieved in the potential application of QSRR methodology in combination with experimental design philosophy in the optimisation of chromatographic separation conditions in the HILIC method development process is communicated. Developing robust predictive QSRR models will undoubtedly facilitate more application of this chromatographic mode in a broader variety of research areas, significantly minimising cost and time of the experimental work.

It is all about the solvent: on the importance of the mobile phase for ZIC-HILIC glycopeptide enrichment

Glycopeptide enrichment is a crucial step in glycoproteomics for which hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) has extensively been applied due to its low bias towards different glycan types. A systematic evaluation of applicable HILIC mobile phases on glycopeptide enrichment efficiency and selectivity is, to date, however, still lacking. Here, we present a novel, simplified technique for HILIC enrichment termed “Drop-HILIC”, which was applied to systematically evaluate the mobile phase effect on ZIC-HILIC (zwitterionic type of hydrophilic interaction chromatography) glycopeptide enrichment. The four most commonly used MS compatible organic solvents were investigated: (i) acetonitrile, (ii) methanol, (iii) ethanol and (iv) isopropanol. Glycopeptide enrichment efficiencies were evaluated for each solvent system using samples of increasing complexity ranging from well-defined synthetic glycopeptides spiked into different concentrations of tryptic BSA peptides, followed by standard glycoproteins, and a complex sample derived from human (depleted and non-depleted) serum. ZIC-HILIC glycopeptide efficiency largely relied upon the used solvent. Different organic mobile phases enriched distinct glycopeptide subsets in a peptide backbone hydrophilicity-dependant manner. Acetonitrile provided the best compromise for the retention of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic glycopeptides, whereas methanol was confirmed to be unsuitable for this purpose. The enrichment efficiency of ethanol and isopropanol towards highly hydrophobic glycopeptides was compromised as considerable co-enrichment of unmodified peptides occurred, though for some hydrophobic glycopeptides isopropanol showed the best enrichment properties. This study shows that even minor differences in the peptide backbone and solvent do significantly influence HILIC glycopeptide enrichment and need to be carefully considered when employed for glycopeptide enrichment.

Graphical Abstract

The effect of charged groups on hydrophilic monolithic stationary phases on their chromatographic properties

In order to investigate the effect of charged groups present in hydrophilic monolithic stationary phases on their chromatographic properties, three charged hydrophilic monomers, i.e. N,N-dimethyl-N-acryloyloxyethyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium betaine (SPDA), [2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (AETA), and 3-sulfopropyl acrylate potassium salt (SPA) were co-polymerized with the crosslinker N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), respectively. The physicochemical properties of the three resulting charged hydrophilic monolithic columns were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, ζ-potential analysis and micro-HPLC. High column efficiency was obtained on the three monolithic columns at a linear velocity of 1mm/s using thiourea as test compound. Comparative characterization of the three charged HILIC phases was then carried out using a set of model compounds, including nucleobases, nucleosides, benzoic acid derivatives, phenols, β-blockers and small peptides. Depending on the combination of stationary phase/mobile phase/solute, both hydrophilic interaction and other potential secondary interactions, including electrostatic interaction, hydrogen-bonding interaction, molecular shape selectivity, could contribute to the over-all retention of the analytes. Because of the strong electrostatic interaction provided by the quaternary ammonium groups in the poly (AETA-co-MBA) monolith, this cationic HILIC monolith exhibited the strongest retention for benzoic acid derivatives and small peptides with distorted peak shapes and the weakest retention for basic β-blockers. The sulfonyl groups on the poly (SPA-co-MBA) hydrophilic monolith could provide strong electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding for positively charged analytes and hydrogen-donor/acceptor containing analytes, respectively. Therefore, basic drugs, nucleobases and nucleotides exhibited the strongest retention on this anionic monolith. Because of the weak but distinct cation exchange properties of the zwitterionic poly (SPDA-co-MBA) hydrophilic monolith, it exhibited the best separation for most test analytes (including phenols, β-blockers and small peptides) in terms of selectivity, peak shape and analysis time. The poly (AETA-co-MBA) hydrophilic monolithic column provides the best separation of nucleobases and nucleosides. These results could guide the selection and application of these charged HILIC monoliths in the future.

Application of Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography for the Quantification of Flavonoids in Genista tinctoria Extract

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) was employed to investigate chromatographic behavior of selected flavonoids from their different subgroups differing in polarity. Chromatographic measurements were performed on two different HILIC columns: unmodified silica (Atlantis-HILIC) and zwitterionic sulfoalkylbetaine (SeQuant ZIC-HILIC). Separation parameters such as content and type of organic modifier were studied. On ZIC column retention factors were observed to be inversely proportional to the buffer content in the mobile phase, which is the typical partitioning mechanism. In the case of bare silica column more or less apparent dual retention mechanism was observed, depending on the water component content in the mobile phase. ZIC-HILIC showed better selectivity (in comparison to silica column) with the detection limit of 0.01 mg/L (only for rutin was 0.05 mg/L). Finally, this chromatographic procedure was validated and applied for the determination of some flavonoids in Genista tinctoria L. extract.

Preparation of phosphorylcholine-based hydrophilic monolithic column and application for analysis of drug-related impurities with capillary electrochromatography

A hydrophilic monolithic CEC column was prepared by thermal copolymerization of zwitterionic monomer 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA), either methacrylatoethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (META) or sodium 2-methylpropene-1-sulfonate (MPS) in a polar binary porogen consisting of methanol and THF. A typical hydrophilic interaction LC retention mechanism was observed for low-molecular weight polar compounds including amides, nucleotides, and nucleosides in the separation mode of hydrophilic interaction CEC, when high content of ACN (>60%) was used as the mobile phase. The effect of the electrostatic interaction between the analytes and the stationary phase was found to be negligible. The poly(MPC-co-PETA-co-META or MPS) monolithic columns have an average column efficiency of 40 000 plates/m and displayed with a satisfactory repeatability in terms of migration time and peak areas. Finally, the column was successfully applied to determine the impurities of a positively charged drug pramipexole which are often separated by ion pair RP chromatography due to their high hydrophilicity. All four components can be baseline separated within 5 min with BGE consisting of ACN/20 mM ammonium formate buffer (pH 3.0; 80/20).

Monolithic stationary phases with incorporated fumed silica nanoparticles. Part I. Polymethacrylate-based monolithic column with incorporated bare fumed silica nanoparticles for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

Fumed silica nanoparticles (FSNPs), were incorporated for the first time into a polymethacrylate monolithic column containing glyceryl monomethacrylate (GMM) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) in order to develop a new monolithic column for hydrophilic interaction high performance liquid chromatography (HILIC). When compared to poly(GMM-EDMA) monolithic column without FSNPs, the same monolithic column with incorporated FSNPs yielded important effects on HILIC separations. The effects of monomers and FSNPs content of the polymerization mixture on the performance of the monolithic column were examined in details, and the optimized stationary phase was investigated over a wide range of mobile phase composition with polar acidic, weakly basic and neutral analytes including hydroxy benzoic acids, nucleotides, nucleosides, dimethylformamide, formamide and thiourea. The retention of these analytes was mainly controlled by hydrophilic interactions with the FSNPs and electrostatic repulsion from the negatively charged silica surface in the case of hydroxy benzoic acids and nucleotides. The electrostatic repulsion was minimized by decreasing the pH of the aqueous component of the mobile phase, which in turn enhanced the retention of acidic solutes. Nucleotides were best separated using step gradient elution at decreasing pH as well as ACN concentration in the mobile phase. Improved peak shape and faster analysis of nucleosides were attained by a fast linear gradient elution with a shallow decrease in the ACN content of the ACN-rich mobile phase. The run-to-run and column-to-column reproducibility were satisfactory. The percent relative standard deviations (%RSDs) for the retention times of tested solutes were lower than 2.5% under isocratic conditions and lower than 3.5 under gradient conditions.

Simultaneous Determination of Five Alkaloid Compounds in a Drug Based on a Hydrophilic Monolithic Column by Capillary Electrochromatography

A novel capillary electrochromatography (CEC) method was developed by using a hydrophilic monolithic column for the simultaneous determination of five alkaloids in a drug. The monolithic stationary phase was first prepared via in situ polymerization of acrylamide (AM), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane-sulfonic acid (AMPS) in a ternary porogen solvent system consisting of cyclohexanol, dodecanol and toluene. The obtained monolithic stationary phase was subsequently modified by 0.1 mol/L ammonia water for opening epoxide groups of GMA. The separation performance and efficiency of the resulting monolithic column were investigated by the use of five compounds (thiourea, aniline, naphthylamine, diphenylamine and dimethyl acetamide) by CEC. The optimized monolithic column has obtained high column efficiencies with 74,000-121,000 theoretical plates/m. Finally, the prepared monolithic column was used to separate and determine five alkaloids (piperine, nuciferine, kukoline, berberine and tetrandrine) using CEC. Under the conditions of acetonitrile/10 mM phosphate buffer solution (65/35, v/v, pH 8.5) and 15 kV applied voltage, the baseline separation of five alkaloids was achieved. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of berberine in a tablet sample. The percentage of recovery of spiked tablet samples ranged from 93.4 to 108.0% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) <9.20%.

Recent advances in nonpolar and polar organic monoliths for HPLC and CEC

This article is aimed at providing a review of the progress made in the field over the period 2011 to present in order to expand in parts on two previous reviews (S. Karenga and Z. El Rassi, Electrophoresis, 2011, 32, 90-104; D. Gunasena and Z. El Rassi, Electrophoresis, 2012, 33, 251-261). In brief, this review article describes progress made in nonpolar and polar monoliths used in RP HPLC and CEC and in hydrophilic interaction LC/CEC, respectively. This article is by no means an exhaustive review of the literature; it is rather a survey of the recent progress made in the field with 69 references published on nonpolar and polar polymeric monoliths.

Separation of nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides using two zwitterionic silica-based monolithic capillary columns coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

The capability of employing synthesized zwitterionic silica-based monolithic capillary columns (140 mm × 0.1mm) for separation of highly polar and hydrophilic nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides in hydrophilic interaction chromatography is reported. The suitability of the columns for on-line conjunction with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry was explored. Our results show that the grafted layer of zwitterionic monomer ([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]-dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)-ammonium hydroxide or 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) on the silica monolithic surface significantly improved the separation selectivity and reproducibility, as compared to the bare silica monolith. The stepwise elution from 90% to 70% of acetonitrile enabled separation of a complex sample mixture containing 21 compounds with a total analysis time less than 40 min.

Stationary phases for the enrichment of glycoproteins and glycopeptides

The analysis of protein glycosylation is important for biomedical and biopharmaceutical research. Recent advances in LC-MS analysis have enabled the identification of glycosylation sites, the characterisation of glycan structures and the identification and quantification of glycoproteins and glycopeptides. However, this type of analysis remains challenging due to the low abundance of glycopeptides in complex protein digests, the microheterogeneity at glycosylation sites, ion suppression effects and the competition for ionisation by co-eluting peptides. Specific sample preparation is necessary for comprehensive and site-specific glycosylation analyses using MS. Therefore, researchers continue to pursue new columns to broaden their applications. The current manuscript covers recent literature published from 2008 to 2013. The stationary phases containing various chemical bonding methods or ligands immobilisation strategies on solid supports that selectively enrich N-linked or sialylated N-glycopeptides are categorised with either physical or chemical modes of binding. These categories include lectin affinity, hydrophilic interactions, boronate affinity, titanium dioxide affinity, hydrazide chemistry and other separation techniques. This review should aid in better understanding the syntheses and physicochemical properties of each type of stationary phases for enriching glycoproteins and glycopeptides.