Effect of polystyrene–divinylbenzene resin sulfonation on solute retention in high-performance liquid chromatography

Factors affecting mixed-mode retention properties of cation-exchange stationary phases

Cation-exchange stationary phases were characterized in different chromatographic modes (HILIC, RPLC, IC) and applied to the separation of non-charged hydrophobic and hydrophilic analytes. The set of columns under investigation included both commercially available cation-exchangers and self-prepared PS/DVB-based columns, the latter consisting of adjustable amounts of carboxylic and sulfonic acid functional groups. The influence of cation-exchange site and polymer substrate on the multimodal properties of cation-exchangers was identified using selectivity parameters, polymer imaging and excess adsorption isotherms. Introducing weakly acidic cation-exchange functional groups to the unmodified PS/DVB-substrate effectively reduced hydrophobic interactions, whilst a low degree of sulfonation (0.09 to 0.27% w/w sulphur) mainly influenced electrostatic interactions. Silica substrate was found to be another important factor for inducing hydrophilic interactions. The presented results demonstrate that cation-exchange resins are suitable for mixed-mode applications and offer versatile selectivity.

Mixed-acidic cation-exchange material for the separation of underivatized amino acids

Mixed-acidic cation-exchange (MCX) columns with both strongly (SCX) and weakly (WCX) acidic functional groups were developed for the separation of standard amino acids. The resins were prepared by carboxylation of highly crosslinked monodisperse poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) copolymer particles with performic acid and subsequent sulfonation with sulfuric acid. The degree of functionalization was varied independently for each processing step and controlled by measuring pH dependent retention of the obtained resins. A series of mixed-acidic resins with different SCX/WCX-ratios was chromatographically characterized by variation of formic acid and acetonitrile concentration in the aqueous eluent. The overall cation-exchange capacity was varied from 33 to 68 µmol/mL. The comparison with two commercial columns (Metrohm Metrosep C6, WCX and Hamilton PRP X-200, SCX) revealed the additive character of the different functional group properties within MCX columns and a unique selectivity which can be adjusted by both eluent composition and SCX/WCX-ratio of the resin. The retention window between neutral and basic amino acids was altered by varying the amount of sulfonic acid groups attached to the polymer. Orthogonality plots demonstrated constant selectivity for neutral amino acids. Correlating the retention data with log P data demonstrated the influence of non-ionic hydrophobic and π-π-interactions for the separation of amino acids on PS/DVB-based cation-exchangers. An isocratic IC-ESI-MS method was developed to separate and quantitate 20 underivatized standard amino acids within 30 min. Limits of detection were between 4 and 64 nmol L^-1 and a high linearity of calibration curves was obtained for all analytes. The method was validated by comparing a certified reference standard with external calibration data.

Mixed-Mode Hydrophilic Interactions/Reversed-Phase Retention Mechanism in Thin-Layer Chromatography

We investigated the dual retention mechanism in thin-layer chromatography taking place on three stationary phases of different polarity (C-18, plain silica gel and DIOL) and using binary mobile phases composed of acetonitrile as the main component and water, or methanol as a modifier. As the test analytes, we selected a set of 12 compounds of pharmaceutical importance and considerably different chemical structure, i.e. the imidazoline and serotonin receptor ligands, and their related compounds. Retention of each analyte in each investigated chromatographic system was determined in a wide enough range of the mobile phase composition, with volume fraction of the mobile phase modifier ranging from 0.10 to 0.90. Calculation of the exact turning point values as a proof of occurrence of the reversed-phase hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC/RP) retention mechanism was based on the multimodal retention model. The dual retention mode was described with the use of the volume fraction of the mobile phase modifier, the total polarity and the total solubility models. For the DIOL, C-18 and silica gel stationary phase, the dual (HILIC/RP) retention mechanism was confirmed. In the case of the DIOL stationary phase and acetonitrile/methanol mobile phase, the observed retention mechanism was more complicated than the dual HILIC/RP one.

Graphene Oxide Conjugated Magnetic Beads for RNA Extraction

A magnetic material that consists of silica-coated magnetic beads conjugated with graphene oxide (GO) was successfully prepared for facile ribonucleic acid (RNA) extraction. When the GO-modified magnetic beads were applied to separate the RNA from the lysed cell, the cellular RNAs were readily adsorbed to and readily desorbed from the surface of the GO-modified magnetic beads by urea. The amount of RNA extracted by the GO-modified magnetic beads was ≈170 % as much as those of the control extracted by a conventional phenol-based chaotropic solution. These results demonstrate that the facile method of RNA separation by using GO-modified magnetic beads as an adsorbent is an efficient and simple way to purify intact cellular RNAs and/or microRNA from cell lysates.

Microwave-assisted grafting polymerization modification of nylon 6 capillary-channeled polymer fibers for enhanced weak cation exchange protein separations

A weak cation exchange liquid chromatography stationary phase (nylon-COOH) was prepared by grafting polyacrylic acid on to native nylon 6 capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers via a microwave-assisted radical polymerization. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of applying microwave-assisted grafting polymerization to affect nylon material for protein separation. The C-CP fiber surfaces were characterized by attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The anticipated carbonyl peak at 1722.9 cm^-1 was found on the nylon-COOH fibers, but was not found on the native fiber, indicating the presence of the polyacrylic acid on nylon fibers after grafting. The nylon-COOH phase showed a ∼12× increase in lysozyme dynamic binding capacity (∼12 mg mL^-1) when compared to the native fiber phase (∼1 mg mL^-1). The loading capacity of the nylon-COOH phase is nearly independent of the lysozyme loading concentration (0.05-1 mg mL^-1) and the mobile phase linear velocity (7.3-73 mm s^-1). The reproducibility of the lysozyme recovery from the nylon-COOH (RSD = 0.3%, n = 10) and the batch-to-batch variability in the functionalization (RSD = 3%, n = 5) were also investigated, revealing very high levels of consistency. Fast baseline separations of myoglobin, α-chymotrypsinogen A, cytochrome c and lysozyme were achieved using the nylon-COOH column. It was found that a 5× increase in the mobile phase linear velocity (7.3-to-36.5 mm s^-1) had little effect on the separation resolution. The microwave-assisted grafting polymerization has great potential as a generalized surface modification methodology across the applications of C-CP fibers.

Stationary and mobile phases in hydrophilic interaction chromatography: a review

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is valuable alternative to reversed-phase liquid chromatography separations of polar, weakly acidic or basic samples. In principle, this separation mode can be characterized as normal-phase chromatography on polar columns in aqueous-organic mobile phases rich in organic solvents (usually acetonitrile). Highly organic HILIC mobile phases usually enhance ionization in the electrospray ion source of a mass spectrometer, in comparison to mobile phases with higher concentrations of water generally used in reversed-phase (RP) LC separations of polar or ionic compounds, which is another reason for increasing popularity of this technique. Various columns can be used in the HILIC mode for separations of peptides, proteins, oligosaccharides, drugs, metabolites and various natural compounds: bare silica gel, silica-based amino-, amido-, cyano-, carbamate-, diol-, polyol-, zwitterionic sulfobetaine, or poly(2-sulphoethyl aspartamide) and other polar stationary phases chemically bonded on silica gel support, but also ion exchangers or zwitterionic materials showing combined HILIC-ion interaction retention mechanism. Some stationary phases are designed to enhance the mixed-mode retention character. Many polar columns show some contributions of reversed phase (hydrophobic) separation mechanism, depending on the composition of the mobile phase, which can be tuned to suit specific separation problems. Because the separation selectivity in the HILIC mode is complementary to that in reversed-phase and other modes, combinations of the HILIC, RP and other systems are attractive for two-dimensional applications. This review deals with recent advances in the development of HILIC phase separation systems with special attention to the properties of stationary phases. The effects of the mobile phase, of sample structure and of temperature on separation are addressed, too.

Stationary phases for hydrophilic interaction chromatography, their characterization and implementation into multidimensional chromatography concepts

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is becoming increasingly popular for separation of polar samples on polar columns in aqueous-organic mobile phases rich in organic solvents (usually ACN). Silica gel with decreased surface concentration of silanol groups, or with chemically bonded amino-, amido-, cyano-, carbamate-, diol-, polyol-, or zwitterionic sulfobetaine ligands are used as the stationary phases for HILIC separations, in addition to the original poly(2-sulphoethyl aspartamide) strong cation-exchange HILIC material. The type of the stationary and the composition of the mobile phase play important roles in the mixed-mode HILIC retention mechanism and can be flexibly tuned to suit specific separation problems. Because of excellent mobile phase compatibility and complementary selectivity to RP chromatography, HILIC is ideally suited for highly orthogonal 2-D LC-LC separations of complex samples containing polar compounds, such as peptides, proteins, oligosaccharides, drugs, metabolites and natural compounds. This review attempts to present an overview of the HILIC separation systems, possibilities for their characterization and emerging HILIC applications in 2-D off-line and on-line LC-LC separations of various samples, in combination with RP and other separation modes.

Synthesis and characterization of silica-based hyper-crosslinked sulfonate-modified reversed stationary phases

A novel type of silica-based sulfonate-modified reversed phase ((-)SO3-HC-C8) has been synthesized; it is based on a newly developed acid stable "hyper-crosslinked" C8 derivatized reversed phase, denoted HC-C8. The (-)SO3-HC-C8 phases containing controlled amounts of sulfonyl groups were made by sulfonating the aromatic hyper-crosslinked network of the HC-C(8) phase at different temperatures. The (-)SO3-HC-C8 phases are only slightly less hydrophobic than the parent HC-C8 phase. The added sulfonyl groups provide a unique strong cation-exchange selectivity to the hydrophobic hyper-crosslinked substrate as indicated by the very large C coefficient as shown through Snyder's hydrophobic subtraction reversed-phase characterization method. This cation-exchange activity clearly distinguishes the sulfonated phase from all other reversed phases as confirmed by the very high values of Snyder's column comparison function F(s). In addition, as was found in previous studies of silica-based and zirconia-based reversed phases, a strong correlation between the cation-exchange interaction and hydrophobic interaction was observed for these sulfonated phases in studies of the retention of cationic solutes. The overall chromatographic selectivity of these (-)SO3-HC-C8 phases is greatly enhanced by its high hydrophobicity through a "hydrophobically assisted" ion-exchange retention process.

Quantification of lactobionic acid and sorbitol from enzymatic reaction of fructose and lactose by high-performance liquid chromatography

Experimental conditions for complete separation and quantification of mixtures containing lactobionic acid, sorbitol, lactose and fructose are discussed for the first time. These mixtures appear in the enzymatic bioconversion of fructose and lactose catalyzed by glucose-fructose oxidoreductase (GFOR) and glucono-delta-lactonase (GL) enzymes of Zymomonas mobilis cells. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation was carried out in a strong cation ion exchange resin (hydrogen form) based on a copolymer of styrene divinylbenzene (PS-DVB). A stationary phase of beta-cyclodextrin was also evaluated. An efficient separation was obtained with PS-DVB column eluted with sulfuric acid 0.450 mM solutions (pH 3.0-3.2) at 75 degrees C. The formation of lactones was observed, which is associated with the dissolution of lactobionic acid crystals; however, by dissolving the lactobionic acid crystals on alkaline calcium hydroxyde solution in equimolar ratio a single lactobionic acid chromatographic peak without lactobionolactone is obtained.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic-Encoded Beads for Multiplex Immunoassay

A new type of encoded bead, which uses surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), is described for multiplex immunoassays. Silver nanoparticles were embedded in sulfonated polystyrene (PS) beads via a polyol method, and they were used as SERS-active substrates. Raman-label organic compounds such as 4-methylbenzenethiol (4-MT), 2-naphthalenethiol (2-NT), and benzenethiol (BT) were then adsorbed onto the silver nanoparticles in the sulfonated PS bead. Although only three kinds of encoding have been demonstrated here, various combinations of these Raman-label organic compounds have the potential to give a large number of tags. The Raman-label-incorporated particles were then coated with a silica shell using tetraethoxyorthosilicate (TEOS) for chemical stability and biocompatibility. The resulting beads showed unique and intense Raman signals for the labeled organic compounds. We demonstrated that SERS-encoded beads could be used for multiplex detection with a model using streptavidin and p53. In our system, the binding event of target molecules and the type of ligand can be simultaneously recognized by Raman spectroscopy using a single laser-line excitation (514.5 nm).

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography

Separation of polar compounds on polar stationary phases with partly aqueous eluents is by no means a new separation mode in LC. The first HPLC applications were published more than 30 years ago, and were for a long time mostly confined to carbohydrate analysis. In the early 1990s new phases started to emerge, and the practice was given a name, hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). Although the use of this separation mode has been relatively limited, we have seen a sudden increase in popularity over the last few years, promoted by the need to analyze polar compounds in increasingly complex mixtures. Another reason for the increase in popularity is the widespread use of MS coupled to LC. The partly aqueous eluents high in ACN with a limited need of adding salt is almost ideal for ESI. The applications now encompass most categories of polar compounds, charged as well as uncharged, although HILIC is particularly well suited for solutes lacking charge where coulombic interactions cannot be used to mediate retention. The review attempts to summarize the ongoing discussion on the separation mechanism and gives an overview of the stationary phases used and the applications addressed with this separation mode in LC.

Low-Capacity Cation-Exchange Chromatography of Amino Acids Using a Novel Sulfoacylated Macroreticular Polystyrene-Divinylbenzene Column with Binary Gradient Elution

This paper describes a versatile technique for amino-acid separation using a novel low-capacity sulfoacylated macroreticular polystyrene-divinylbenzene cation-exchange column with a simple binary high-pressure pH gradient elution. Proteinic 16 amino acids were well separated within 50 min using a H3PO4/Na2HPO4-CH3CN eluent system, and the cycle time was about 70 min. The chromatography with postcolumn OPA fluorescent detection was reproducible with RSDs less than 1% for retention times, and was quantitative with RSDs less than 5% for area responses. A linear regression line with an r2 value above 0.9990 was obtained for each analyte in concentration from 0.1 to 10 microM by 20 microL injection. The method was applicable to the separation and detection of urinary diagnostic amino acid due to inborn errors of metabolism, such as phenylketonuria. The analytical costs would be decreased by using the proposed method.

Hypercrosslinked polystyrene as a novel type of high-performance liquid chromatography column packing material. Mechanisms of retention

An experimental material, Chromalite 5HGN (Purolite, UK), that represents hypercrosslinked polystyrene as a new type of neutral stationary phase for HPLC was examined. The material contains no functional groups, but is compatible with any kind of nonpolar and highly polar mobile phase, and even with water. It is chemically resistant and thermally stable. When using aqueous organic mobile phases, Chromalite 5HGN works similar to standard C18 reversed-phase packings, but is characterized by much greater hydrophobicity and, sometimes, unusual selectivity. When using nonpolar mobile phases, i.e. under "quasi normal-phase" conditions, the retention is mostly governed by the interactions between pi-electronic systems of the adsorbent and adsorbate. Adding highly polar, even hydrophilic solvents into the mobile phase, leads to a shift of retention times toward the "reversed-phase" kind of chromatography, which gives an additional possibility in fine tuning the column selectivity.

Sulfoacylated macro-porous polystyrene-divinylbenzene low-capacity cation exchanger selective for amino acids

A low-capacity cation-exchange column was newly developed for the separation of amino acids. A highly cross-linked macro-porous polystyrene-divinylbenzene co-polymer was functionalized by a sulfoacylation reaction. The exchange capacity was controllable at the acylation step. The capacity between 55 and 60 micromol/column was adequate for the practical separations in acceptable retention times. The 5-microm base polymers having average pore diameters smaller than 3 nm gave satisfactory results, and those having 1.5-nm pore was most favorable. Several isocratic elution conditions at different pH values adjusted by phosphate buffer of mM order with or without acetonitrile could provide good separations for individual classes of amino acids, i.e., acidic, neutral, hydrophobic, and basic groups. The results provided fundamental data for constructing gradient elution systems required for the simultaneous separation of protein amino acids.

Solid-phase extraction for multiresidue analysis of organic contaminants in water

To overcome the limitations of the detection systems associated with gas or liquid chromatography, a sample pretreatment is required with the objective to provide a sample fraction enriched with all the target analytes and as free as possible from other matrix components. There is now no doubt that solid-phase extraction (SPE) has now become the method of choice for carrying out simultaneously the extraction and concentration of many compounds in aqueous samples. Many recent applications of SPE to multiresidue analysis are reviewed with an emphasis on the importance of the choice of the sorbent and of the sample volume. SPE is particularly well adapted to multiresidue analysis including compounds from a wide range of polarity or characterized by various physico-chemical properties. However, SPE is not completely free from practical problems inherent to the nature of the compounds or to the coupling to the chromatographic systems. Many examples are reported to illustrate these problems which can in most cases be circumvented. New developments in SPE are also reviewed.

Solid-phase extraction: method development, sorbents, and coupling with liquid chromatography

The objective of this review is to provide updated information about the most important features of the new solid-phase extraction (SPE) materials, their interaction mode and their potential for modern SPE. First, the recent developments are given in formats, phases, automation, high throughput purpose and set-up of new types of procedures. Emphasis is then placed on the large choice of sorbents for trapping analytes over a wide range of polarities, such as highly cross-linked copolymers, functionalized copolymers, graphitized carbons or some specific n-alkylsilicas. The method development is given which is based on prediction from liquid chromatographic retention data or solvation parameters in order to determine the main parameters of any sequence (type and amount of sorbent, sample volume which can be applied without loss of recovery, composition and volume of the clean-up solution, composition and volume of the desorption solution). Obtaining extracts free from matrix interferences in a few steps--one step when possible--is now included in the development of SPE procedure. New selective phases such as mixed-mode and restricted access matrix sorbents or emerging phases such as immunosorbents or molecularly imprinted polymers are reviewed. Selectivity obtained by combining two sorbents is described with the use of ion-exchange or ion-pair sorbents. Special attention is given to complete automation of the SPE sequence with its on-line coupling with liquid chromatography followed by various detection modes. This represents a fast, modern and reliable approach to trace analysis. Many examples illustrate the various features of modern SPE which are discussed in this review. They have been selected in both biological and environmental areas.