Use of ionic liquids as stationary phases in hyphenated gas chromatography techniques

Multipurpose new gas chromatography column based on pillararenes functionalized with imidazolium ionic liquids

BACKGROUND

Gas chromatography is worldwide recognized as one of the most important analytical techniques, due to its high versatility and reliability. The heart of a gas chromatograph is the column, that allows analyte peak separations and, consequently, accurate qualitative and qualitative analyses. New and more efficient columns are always requested to satisfy new and challenging analytical needs.

RESULTS

In this work, imidazolium ionic liquids functionalized pillar [5] arenes have been used for the first time as gas chromatographic stationary phases, considering their highly symmetric pillar-shaped architecture with cavities rich in π-electrons. Four imidazolium ionic liquids functionalized pillar [5] arenes have been tested as stationary phases with numerous analytes and isomers. In particular, one of these showed superior performances if compared to commercial columns, enabling challenging isomeric separations of halogenated benzenes, aromatic aldehydes, and aromatic anilines.

SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY

To our knowledge, this is the first report on the use of the ionic liquid P[n]A as a stationary phase in chromatography, either in GC or liquid chromatography (LC) separations. This work demonstrates the promising potential of ionic liquid P[n]A stationary phases for chromatographic separations.

Multicapillary columns with ionic liquids as stationary liquid phase

The study demonstrates the possibility of using ionic liquids (IL) as a stationary liquid phase (SLP) for gas chromatographic (GC) multicapillary columns (MCC). Three types of IL of three classes were employed as SLP: Imidazolium, Pyridinium and Quinolinium. Dependences of the MCCs efficiency on the carrier gas flow rate were obtained. Highest efficiency was achieved on the column with 1,2-Dimethyl-3-propylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (DiMPrIm). For this column, dependence of the efficiency on the sample volume has been investigated. Also the loading capacity of the MCC with DiMPrIm was determined. Separation of fatty acid esters and phenols served as an example to demonstrate that using ionic liquids as SLP for МСС make it possible to combine fast separations with high selectivity.

Effect of position of deuterium atoms on gas chromatographic isotope effects

Deuterium substitution provides various benefits in drug molecules, including improvement in pharmacokinetic properties, reduction of toxicity, reduction of epimerization, etc. Also, it has been shown that the position of deuterium substitution affects the properties of drug molecules. Therefore, it is important to study low molecular weight deuterated isotopologues which constitute the deuterated pool and are building blocks of larger deuterated molecules. The effect of the position and number of deuterium atoms on the retention of 23 deuterated isotopologues on two gas chromatography stationary phases of different polarities was evaluated. It was observed that the ratio of calculated chromatographic isotope effects resulting from a deuterium atom connected to an sp² vs. an sp³ hybridized carbon was more on the polar IL-111i stationary phase compared to the nonpolar PDMS-5, for each group of isotopologues. Also, a compound with a deuterium atom connected to an sp² hybridized carbon always had greater retention than the analogous compound where deuterium was connected to an sp³ hybridized carbon. The van't Hoff plots for all analytes showed that the effect of entropy was almost negligible in the separation of deuterated vs. protiated isotopologues, thus these separations were mainly enthalpy driven.

A New Capillary Gas Chromatography Column Based on Poly(ethylene glycol) Methyl Ether-Functionalized Calix[4]arene

In this work, a novel capillary column (C4A-mPEG) with a calixarene-based polymer stationary phase (poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether-functionalized 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arene) was designed and used for gas chromatographic (GC) separations. The C4A-mPEG capillary column, prepared by the static coating method, showed moderate polarity and a column efficiency of 2332 plates/m, determined by 1-octanol at 120 °C. The separation features of C4A-mPEG stationary phase, resulting from its unique structure and multiple molecular recognition processes with analytes, including π-π, H-bonding, dipole-dipole, and van der Waals interactions, allowed to obtain high-resolution performances for a wide range of compounds and their isomers, especially benzaldehydes, phenols, and anilines. Moreover, compared with 4-tertbutyl calix[4]arene (C4A) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) stationary phases, a higher resolving capability was also observed for the separation of toluidine and xylidine isomers.

Ionic Liquid Stationary Phase for Improving Comprehensive Two-dimensional Gas Chromatographic Separation of Polychlorinated Naphthalenes

The performance of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS) using a column combination of a non-polar stationary phase (DB-5MS) and an ionic liquid stationary phase (SLB-IL60) in the first- and the second dimension has been evaluated for the suitable separation of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). The optimization of the GC×GC-MS method was carried out using different oven temperature programs and modulation conditions, achieving the best results using a ramp temperature rate of 0.75 °C min^-1 and a modulation time of 12 s. Under these conditions, efficient separation of all PCN congeners present in Halowax formulations was achieved in 140 min, resolving some critical closed eluting isomers, such as CN-33/34/37, highly toxic CN-66/67 or CN-71/72 pairs, among others. These findings represent a significant improvement in the congener-specific separation of PCNs over the 1D-GC and GC×GC methodologies already published and the DB-5MS × SLB-IL60 column combination offered the orthogonality required for the congener-specific determination with a high peak capacity. The GC×GC-MS method was applied to the characterisation of Halowax formulations, obtaining similar compositional profiles than those previously reported.

Polymeric Ionic Liquids Derived from L-Valine for the Preparation of Highly Selective Silica-Supported Stationary Phases in Gas Chromatography

A series of silica-supported polymeric ionic liquid (PIL)-based stationary phases derived from a vinylic L-valine ionic liquid monomer and divinylbenzene (DVB) as the crosslinking agent have been prepared and studied as gas chromatographic stationary phases. These coated gas chromatographic columns exhibited good thermal stabilities (230-300 °C) and high efficiencies (1700-2700 plates/m), and were characterized using a linear solvation parameter model in order to understand the effects of the amount of DVB on the features of the resulting composite systems. Their retention behavior and separation efficiencies were demonstrated using the Grob test. By tuning the crosslinking degree for the IL-derived stationary phase, the separation selectivity and resolution of different compounds were improved. The different retention behaviors observed for many analytes indicate that these stationary phases may be applicable as new types of GC stationary phases.

Real-time monitoring of intracellular pH in live cells with fluorescent ionic liquid

Real-time monitoring of intracellular pH is of great significance due to its essential role in physiological and pathological processes. In present work, the ionic liquid (IL) N-methyl-6-hydroxyquinolinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide ([6MQc][NTf₂]) is proposed as a fluorescence probe for the quantitative imaging of intracellular pH in response to external stimuli. The fluorescence of the IL [6MQc][NTf₂] exhibits a sensitive response to pH variations, as the deprotonation of [6MQc][NTf₂] generates the highly fluorescent zwitterionic product [6MQz]. pH fluctuations in the range of 6.0-7.5 can be accurately sensed by monitoring the fluorescence change at 555 nm. Moreover, this IL probe exhibits favorable biocompatibility, excellent anti-photobleaching properties, and high tolerance to ionic strength. Using the IL probe, real-time sensing of hypoxia- and drug-induced intracellular pH changes in MCF-7 cells is achieved.

The Influence of Ionic Liquids on the Effectiveness of Analytical Methods Used in the Monitoring of Human and Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in Biological and Environmental Samples-Trends and Perspectives

Recent years have seen the increased utilization of ionic liquids (ILs) in the development and optimization of analytical methods. Their unique and eco-friendly properties and the ability to modify their structure allows them to be useful both at the sample preparation stage and at the separation stage of the analytes. The use of ILs for the analysis of pharmaceuticals seems particularly interesting because of their systematic delivery to the environment. Nowadays, they are commonly detected in many countries at very low concentration levels. However, due to their specific physiological activity, pharmaceuticals are responsible for bioaccumulation and toxic effects in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems as well as possibly upsetting the body's equilibrium, leading to the dangerous phenomenon of drug resistance. This review will provide a comprehensive summary of the use of ILs in various sample preparation procedures and separation methods for the determination of pharmaceuticals in environmental and biological matrices based on liquid-based chromatography (LC, SFC, TLC), gas chromatography (GC) and electromigration techniques (e.g., capillary electrophoresis (CE)). Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of ILs, which can appear during extraction and separation, will be presented and attention will be given to the criteria to be followed during the selection of ILs for specific applications.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based analytical strategies for fatty acid analysis in biological samples

Fatty acids play critical roles in biological systems. Imbalances in fatty acids are related to a variety of diseases, which makes the measurement of fatty acids in biological samples important. Many analytical strategies have been developed to investigate fatty acids in various biological samples. Due to the structural diversity of fatty acids, many factors need to be considered when developing analytical methods including extraction methods, derivatization methods, column selections, and internal standard selections. This review focused on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based methods. We reviewed several commonly used fatty acid extraction approaches, including liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase microextraction. Moreover, both acid and base derivatization methods and other specially designed methods were comprehensively reviewed, and their strengths and limitations were discussed. Having good separation efficiency is essential to building an accurate and reliable GC-MS platform for fatty acid analysis. We reviewed the separation performance of different columns and discussed the application of multidimensional GC for improving separations. The selection of internal standards was also discussed. In the final section, we introduced several biomedical studies that measured fatty acid levels in different sample matrices and provided hints on the relationships between fatty acid imbalances and diseases.

Separation performance of p-tert-butyl(tetradecyloxy)calix[6]arene as a stationary phase for capillary gas chromatography

This work presents the first example of the utilization of p-tert-butyl(tetradecyloxy)calix[6]arene (C6A-C10) as a stationary phase for capillary gas chromatographic (GC) separation.

p-Nitro-tetradecyloxy-calix[4]arene as a highly selective stationary phase for gas chromatographic separations

Here, we report the first example of the utilization of p-nitro-tetradecyloxy-calix[4]arene (C4A-NO₂) as a stationary phase for capillary gas chromatographic (GC) separations.

Thermal stability of trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride

The thermal stability of the ionic liquid Cyphos IL 101 was investigated under various experimental conditions for possible high-temperature applications.

Influence of the anion on the properties of ionic liquid mixtures: a molecular dynamics study

Big anions enhance the non-polar network in IL mixtures, while smaller ones win the competition for the imidazolium cation.

Recent advances on ionic liquid uses in separation techniques

The molten organic salts with melting point below 100°C, commonly called ionic liquids (ILs) have found numerous uses in separation sciences due to their exceptional properties as non molecular solvents, namely, a negligible vapor pressure, a high thermal stability, and unique solvating properties due to polarity and their ionic character of molten salts. Other properties, such as viscosity, boiling point, water solubility, and electrochemical window, are adjustable playing with which anion is associated with which cation. This review focuses on recent development of the uses of ILs in separation techniques actualizing our 2008 article (same authors, J. Chromatogr. A, 1184 (2008) 6-18) focusing on alkyl methylimidazolium salts. These developments include the use of ILs in nuclear waste reprocessing, highly thermally stable ILs that allowed for the introduction of polar gas chromatography capillary columns able to work at temperature never seen before (passing 300°C), the use of ILs in liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis, and the introduction of tailor-made ILs for mass spectrometry detection of trace anions at the few femtogram level. The recently introduced deep eutectic solvents are not exactly ILs, they are related enough so that their properties and uses in countercurrent chromatography are presented.

Characterization of a dicationic imidazolium-based ionic liquid as a gas chromatography stationary phase

Here we report the characteristics of a new synthesized ionic liquid, 1,9-di(N-naphthalen-2-ylimidazolium)nonane bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide ([C₉(2NPTim)₂][(NTf₂)₂]), as a stationary phase by inverse gas chromatography. The McReynolds constants demonstrated that the [C₉(2NPTim)₂][(NTf₂)₂] had an average polarity of 667 and polarity number P.N.=75, suggesting its polar nature. The solvation properties of the new stationary phase were determined by the calculation of Abraham solvation system constants, whereby the results showed that its major interactions with the analytes included H-bond basicity (a), dipole-dipole (s) and dispersive (l) interactions. The activity coefficients (γ^∞) and selectivities (S_IJ^∞) at infinite dilution were also determined for various polar and nonpolar organic solutes at different temperatures. The separation performance of the [C₉(2NPTim)₂][(NTf₂)₂] stationary phase was evaluated by GC separations of different analytes, including normal alkanes and aromatic compounds. The TGA results showed that the stationary phase had high thermal stability up to 420°C.

Ionic liquids in chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques: toward additional improvements in the separation of natural compounds

Due to their unique properties, in recent years, ionic liquids (ILs) have been largely investigated in the field of analytical chemistry. Particularly during the last sixteen years, they have been successfully applied in the chromatographic and electrophoretic analysis of value-added compounds extracted from biomass. Considering the growing interest in the use of ILs in this field, this critical review provides a comprehensive overview on the improvements achieved using ILs as constituents of mobile or stationary phases in analytical techniques, namely in capillary electrophoresis and its different modes, in high performance liquid chromatography, and in gas chromatography, for the separation and analysis of natural compounds. The impact of the IL chemical structure and the influence of secondary parameters, such as the IL concentration, temperature, pH, voltage and analysis time (when applied), are also critically addressed regarding the achieved separation improvements. Major conclusions on the role of ILs in the separation mechanisms and the performance of these techniques in terms of efficiency, resolution and selectivity are provided. Based on a critical analysis of all published results, some target-oriented ILs are suggested. Finally, current drawbacks and future challenges in the field are highlighted. In particular, the design and use of more benign and effective ILs as well as the development of integrated (and thus more sustainable) extraction-separation processes using IL aqueous solutions are suggested within a green chemistry perspective.

Durable porous polyaniline supported ionic liquid coating for the highly effective solid phase microextraction of trace fatty alcohols in drinks

A polyaniline (PANI)-ionic liquid (IL) based solid phase microextraction (SPME) coating is presented.

Performance evaluation of a versatile multidimensional chromatographic preparative system based on three-dimensional gas chromatography and liquid chromatography-two-dimensional gas chromatography for the collection of volatile constituents

The present research deals with the multi-collection of the most important sesquiterpene alcohols belonging to sandalwood essential oil, as reported by the international regulations: (Z)-α-santalol, (Z)-α-trans bergamotol, (Z)-β-santalol, epi-(Z)-β-santalol, α-bisabolol, (Z)-lanceol, and (Z)-nuciferol. A versatile multidimensional preparative system, based on the hyphenation of liquid and gas chromatography techniques, was operated in the LC-GC-GC-prep or GC-GC-GC-prep configuration, depending on the concentration to be collected from the sample, without any hardware or software modification. The system was equipped with a silica LC column in combination with polyethylene glycol-poly(5% diphenyl/95% dimethylsiloxane)-medium polarity ionic liquid or β-cyclodextrin based GC stationary phases. The GC-GC-GC-prep configuration was exploited for the collection of four components, by using a conventional split/splitless injector, while the LC-GC-GC-prep approach was applied for three low abundant components (<5%), in order to increase the quantity collected within a single run, by the LC injection of a high sample amount. All target compounds, whose determination is hampered by the unavailability of commercial standards, were collected at milligram levels and with a high degree of purity (>87%).