Linear free energy relationship models for the retention of partially ionized acid-base compounds in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Predicting biophysical properties of small molecules from chromatographic measurements and the solvation parameter model

Biopartitioning processes are challenging to study and often require the sacrifice of multiple animals. Therefore, it is more practical and cost-effective to correlate these processes with easily determined properties, such as chromatographic retention data, or to make predictions based on structural descriptors such as quantitative structure-property relationships or linear free energy relationships. Abraham's solvation parameter model uses six solute properties to characterize the interactions responsible for the transfer of neutral compounds between immiscible phases in chromatographic or biological systems. This review discusses the prediction of biological properties of small molecules from chromatographic measurements and the solvation parameter model. It covers the characteristics of solute descriptors in the solvation parameter model, as well as experimental approaches for their determination. Additionally, it explores recent applications of the solvation parameter model in characterizing biological systems and its use in identifying surrogate chromatographic models for predicting biological properties.

Ability of biomimetic chromatography and physicochemical systems to predict the skin permeation of neutral compounds. A comparison study

Five in vitro physicochemical systems have been evaluated in terms of its ability to emulate the skin permeation of neutral compounds: the permeation in two different PAMPA membranes, the classical octanol-water partition coefficient, and two biomimetic chromatography systems, one based in cerasome electrokinetic chromatography and another based in reversed-phase liquid chromatography measurements. The coefficients of the solvation parameter model equation of the mentioned systems have been compared to the ones of the skin permeation process through different comparison parameters. Moreover, a method to predict whether a physicochemical system is able to emulate satisfactorily a biological one, just by the analysis of the equation coefficients has been developed. Results reveal that the two PAMPA systems are a good choice to emulate directly the skin permeation of neutral compounds. Instead, the other three systems need a volume correction term to provide a satisfactory emulation. However, after the correction, all the evaluated systems show a similar ability to emulate well skin permeation, as predicted.

Determination of the hydrogen-bond basicity descriptor by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Except for alkanes, most organic compounds are hydrogen-bond bases. The B° descriptor of the solvation parameter model provides a convenient measure of the effective (or summation) hydrogen-bond basicity of organic compounds. A fast and convenient method to assign the B° descriptor is required to support studies of hydrogen-bonding in separation systems. A two-column system with acetonitrile-water mobile phase compositions and the measurement of up to eleven isocratic retention factors is proposed for this purpose. Several reversed-phase column chemistries and mobile phases were evaluated with the two-column system consisting of a pentafluorophenylpropylsiloxane-bonded and octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica columns recommended for this purpose. To assess the accuracy of the method values for B° were taken from the Wayne State University (WSU) compound descriptor database, which were assigned using conventional multi-technique methods and large datasets. The two-column systems provided an unbiased assignment of B° with an average deviation of 0.008 and an average absolute deviation of 0.021 compared with the target value for 55 varied compounds. The two-column system is unsuitable for assigning the other descriptors used in the solvation parameter model and results in erroneous assignments of B° for nitrogen-containing compounds capable of electrostatic interactions on silica-based reversed-phase columns.

An improved workflow for the development of MS-compatible liquid chromatography assay purity and purification methods by using automated LC Screening instrumentation and in silico modeling

The development of liquid chromatography UV and mass spectrometry (LC-UV-MS) assays in pharmaceutical analysis is pivotal to improve quality control by providing critical information about drug purity, stability, and presence and identity of byproducts and impurities. Analytical method development of these assays is time-consuming, which often causes it to become a bottle neck in drug development and poses a challenge for process chemists to quickly improve the chemistry. In this study, a systematic and efficient workflow was designed to develop purity assay and purification methods for a wide range of compounds including peptides, proteins, and small molecules with MS-compatible mobile phases (MP) by using automated LC screening instrumentation and in silico modeling tools. Initial LC MPs and chromatography column screening experiments enabled quick identification of conditions which provided the best resolution in the vicinity of the target compounds, which is further optimized using computer-assisted modeling (LC Simulator from ACD/Labs). The experimental retention times were in good agreement with the predicted retention times from LC Simulator (ΔtR < 7%). This workflow presents a practical workflow to significantly expedite the time needed to develop optimized LC-UV-MS methods, allowing for a facile, automatic method optimization and reducing the amount of manual work involved in developing new methods during drug development.

Selectivity comparison of acetonitrile-methanol-water ternary mobile phases on an octadecylsiloxane-bonded silica stationary phase

The solvation parameter model was used in this study to investigate various intermolecular interactions that influence retention on the standard C18 stationary phase for the solvent system acetonitrile:methanol (ACN:MeOH, 1:1). In comparison to the organic mobile phase modifiers acetonitrile, acetone, methanol, 2-propanol, and tetrahydrofuran, the solvent strength for the ACN:MeOH (1:1) solvent system was evaluated. To facilitate the interpretation of various intermolecular interactions that contribute to retention on a standard C18 stationary phase for the solvent system ACN:MeOH (1:1), system maps were constructed and compared with those of acetone, tetrahydrofuran, acetonitrile, 2-propanol, and methanol. The solvation parameter models were constructed for the ternary solvent system ACN:MeOH (1:1)-water, and in the models constructed, the coefficient of determination values were from 0.998 to 0.999, the Fisher statistic values for the models were from 1687 to 4015, and the standard error of the estimate values ranged from 0.022 to 0.029. The solvent system ACN:MeOH (1:1) has retention properties more similar to methanol than acetonitrile, indicating methanol's influence is more dominant.

Selectivity evaluation of extraction systems

Extraction is the most common sample preparation technique prior to chromatographic analysis for samples which are too complex, too dilute, or contain matrix components incompatible with the further use of the separation system or interfere in the detection step. The most important extraction techniques are biphasic systems involving the transfer of target compounds from the sample to a different phase ideally accompanied by no more than a tolerable burden of co-extracted matrix compounds. The solvation parameter model affords a general framework to characterize biphasic extraction systems in terms of their relative capability for solute-phase intermolecular interactions (dispersion, dipole-type, hydrogen bonding) and within phase solvent-solvent interactions for cavity formation (cohesion). The approach is general and allows the comparison of liquid and solid extraction phases using the same terms and is used to explain the features important for the selective enrichment of target compounds by a specific extraction phase using solvent extraction, liquid-liquid extraction, and solid-phase extraction for samples in a gas, liquid, or solid phase. Hierarchical cluster analysis with the system constants of the solvation parameter model as variables facilitates the selection of solvents for extraction, the identification of liquid-liquid distribution systems with non-redundant selectivity, and evaluation of different approaches using liquids and solids for the isolation of target compounds from different matrices.

Evaluation of Hold-Up Volume Determination Methods and Markers in Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography

Common methods for hold-up time and volume determination in Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography (RPLC) have been tested for Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (HILIC). A zwitterionic ZIC-HILIC column has been used for the testing. The pycnometric determination method, based on differences in column weight when filled with water or organic solvent, provides the overall volume of solvent inside the column. This includes the volume of eluent semi-sorbed on the packing of the column, which acts as the main stationary phase. The homologous series approach, based on the retention behavior of homologues in relation to their molecular volume, allows the determination of accurate hold-up volumes. However, the application of this method is time-consuming. In some cases, large neutral markers with poor dipolarity/polarizability and hydrogen bonding interactions can be used as hold-up volume markers. This is the case of dodecylbenzene and nonadecane-2-one in clearly HILIC behaving chromatographic systems, the use of decanophenone as a marker can be even extended to the boundary between HILIC and RPLC. The elution volume of the marker remains nearly unaffected by the concentration of ammonium acetate in the mobile phase up to 20 mM. The injection of pure solvents to produce minor base-line disturbance as hold-up markers is strongly discouraged, since solvent peaks are complex to interpret and depend on the ionic strength of the eluent.

Recent advances for estimating environmental properties for small molecules from chromatographic measurements and the solvation parameter model

The transfer of neutral compounds between immiscible phases in chromatographic or environmental systems can be described by six solute properties (solute descriptors) using the solvation parameter model. The solute descriptors are size (McGowan's characteristic volume), V, excess molar refraction, E, dipolarity/polarizability, S, hydrogen-bond acidity and basicity, A and B, and the gas-liquid partition constant on n-hexadecane at 298.15 K, L. V and E for liquids are accessible by calculation but the other descriptors and E for solids are determined experimentally by chromatographic, liquid-liquid partition, and solubility measurements. These solute descriptors are available for several thousand compounds in the Abraham solute descriptor databases and for several hundred compounds in the WSU experimental solute descriptor database. In the first part of this review, we highlight features important in defining each descriptor, their experimental determination, compare descriptor quality for the two organized descriptor databases, and methods for estimating Abraham solute descriptors. In the second part we focus on recent applications of the solvation parameter model to characterize environmental systems and its use for the identification of surrogate chromatographic models for estimating environmental properties.

Separation of phosphorothioate oligonucleotide impurities by WAX HPLC under high organic content elution conditions

The separation of impurities in phosphorothioate diester (PS) oligonucleotides is complicated by (1) the presence of a very large number of diastereoisomers, e.g., 2¹⁹ for a 20-mer oligonucleotide, (2) peak broadening due to the hydrophobic character of the sulfur atom, and (3) the chemical similarity of the impurities to the parent oligonucleotide and each other. Further difficulties arise due to the chemical nature of oligonucleotides, which display a complex mixture of ionic, hydrophobic, H-bonding, and other functionalities. To minimize hydrophobic interactions and peak broadening due to the PS modification, we have developed a novel method that combines a weak anion exchange (WAX) column with a mobile phase elution system designed to maximize separation by a single ionic/electrostatic interaction. We found that although chaotropes are helpful, the most significant beneficial effect of the hydrophilic WAX column is that high-organic, low-salt mobile phase is required for product elution. Separations are also benefitted by pH gradient effects on stationary phase electrostatic potential and analyte ionization. An extraordinary degree of separation is achieved by the new WAX method in comparison to SAX (strong anion exchange) chromatography. For the first time, the extent of deamination of PS oligonucleotides is directly determined by a chromatography-only method. The approach, representative results, and the mechanisms of separation are discussed.

Solute–Solvent Interactions in Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography: Characterization of the Retention in a Silica Column by the Abraham Linear Free Energy Relationship Model

The Abraham linear free energy relationship model has been used to characterize a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) silica column with acetonitrile/water and methanol/water mobile phases. Analysis by the model for acetonitrile/water mobile phases points to solute volume and hydrogen bond basicity as the main properties affecting retention, whereas solute hydrogen bond acidity, dipolarity and polarizability practically do not affect it. Formation of a cavity is easier in acetonitrile-rich mobile phases than in the aqueous stationary phase, and hence increase of solute volume decreases retention. Conversely, hydrogen bond acidity is stronger in the aqueous stationary phase than in the acetonitrile-rich mobile phase and thus an increase of solute hydrogen bond basicity increases retention. Results are similar for methanol/water mobile phases with the difference that solute hydrogen bond acidity is significant too. Increase in hydrogen bond acidity of the solute decreases retention showing that methanol mobile phases must be better hydrogen bond acceptors than acetonitrile ones, and even than water-rich stationary phases. The results are like the ones obtained in zwitterionic HILIC columns bonded to silica or polymer supports for acetonitrile/water mobile phases, but different for solute hydrogen bond acidity for a polymer bonded zwitterionic column with methanol/water mobile phases, indicating that bonding support plays an important role in HILIC retention. Comparison to RPLC characterized systems confirms the complementarity of HILIC systems to RPLC ones because the main properties affecting retention are the same but with reversed coefficients. The least retained solutes in RPLC are the most retained in HILIC.