MOF-74@SiO2 core-shell stationary phase: Preparation and its applications for mixed-mode chromatographic separation

A well-defined hierarchically porous metal-organic framework and its application in separation and purification of steviol glycosides

The separation and removal of stevioside from natural product steviol glycosides to obtain high-purity rebaudioside A is of great significance for the application of steviol glycosides in food, medicine and other fields. Here, in order to explore the adsorbent pore structure suitable for the separation of stevioside and rebaudioside A, a hierarchically porous amino-functionalized metal-organic framework (HP-NH₂ -MIL-53) with an appropriate and narrow pore size distribution was prepared using a modulator induced defect-formation strategy. The results showed that the hierarchically porous structure with micropores and mesopores increased the specific surface area and exposed amino groups compared with original metal organic framework (NH₂ -MIL-53), and the maximum adsorption capacity of HP-NH₂ -MIL-53 for stevioside and rebaudioside A was 233.89 mg/g. The narrow pore size distribution close to 3.80 nm promoted the screening effect, resulting in a maximum adsorption selectivity of 4.13. This work proves that when the pore size of the adsorbent is between 1.41-3.80 nm, it has a certain pore size screening effect on stevioside and rebaudioside A, and the hierarchically porous metal-organic frameworks provide a pre-design idea of adsorbent structure for the separation of natural products with molecular weight of 800-1000 Da. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The Current Status of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Use in Liquid Chromatography

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are self-assembled combinations of metals and inorganic ligands that result in a relatively young class of highly ordered, porous materials. Because of the number of structural and chemical possibilities, high surface area, controlled pore volume, and favorable thermal properties, MOFs are being investigated in several fields, including chromatography. Because of the enormous interest in a 2018 “Column Watch” article on the subject and the high level of research in the field, this article explores recent (2019–present) activity specifically toward the application of MOFs for liquid chromatography (LC).

A chiral metal-organic framework core-shell microspheres composite for high-performance liquid chromatography enantioseparation

The unique features of uniform and adjustable cavities, abundant chiral active sites, and high enantioselectivity make chiral metal-organic frameworks popular as an emerging candidate for enantioselective separation. However, the wide particle size distribution and irregular shape of as-synthesized metal-organic frameworks result in low column efficiency, undesired chromatographic peak shape, and high column backpressure of such metal-organic frameworks packed columns. Herein, we report the fabrication of chiral core-shell microspheres [Cu₂ (d-Cam)₂ (4,4'-bpy)]_n @SiO₂ composite for high-performance liquid chromatography enantioseparation to overcome the above-mentioned problems. The [Cu₂ (d-Cam)₂ (4,4'-bpy)]_n @SiO₂ packed column gave high-resolution separation of racemates under low column backpressure (10-22 bar), indicating its synergistic effect of the good column packing property of the SiO₂ microspheres and the chiral recognition ability of [Cu₂ (d-Cam)₂ (4,4'-bpy)]_n crystals. Thirteen kinds of chiral compounds including alcohols, amines, ketones, epoxides, and organic bases were well separated with good peak shapes and high column efficiency (18200 plates/m for 1-(9-anthryl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanol) on the [Cu₂ (d-Cam)₂ (4,4'-bpy)]_n @SiO₂ packed column. Among them, seven pairs of enantiomers achieved baseline separation and the resolution value for 1-(9-anthryl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanol reached 11.22. Some effects such as column temperature, and analytes mass on the enantioseparations have been investigated. In addition, the [Cu₂ (d-Cam)₂ (4,4'-bpy)]_n @SiO₂ packed column exhibited good stability and repeatability for the separation of chiral compounds. The relative standard deviations for five replicate separations of 1-phenylethanol were less than 1.0, 1.5, 3.0, and 2.0% for the retention time, peak area, number of theoretical plates, and resolution, respectively. The research results demonstrated the development of chiral metal-organic frameworks core-shell microspheres composite provide a promising platform for their practical application in chiral separation fields.

Regulating metal-organic frameworks as stationary phases and absorbents for analytical separations

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly ordered framework systems composed of metal centers and organic linkers formed through coordination bonds. The diversity of metal elements and easily modified organic ligands, together with controllable synthetic approaches, gives rise to the designability of various MOF structures and topologies and the capability of MOFs to be functionalized. Their structural diversity provides MOFs with many unique properties, such as permanent porosity, flexible structures, thermostability, and high adsorption capacity, leading to great practicability in technical applications. In this review, we concentrate on the applications of MOFs in the field of gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and the enrichment of biomolecules, based on rational arrangements in the structures and functions of MOFs. Moreover, we emphasize the importance of structural and chemical regulations for the improvement of separation efficiency.