Structure−Function Relationships in High-Density Octadecylsilane Stationary Phases by Raman Spectroscopy. 3. Effects of Self-Associating Solvents

Hybrid-Lipid Bilayers Induce n-Alkyl-Chain Order in Reversed-Phase Chromatographic Surfaces, Impacting their Shape Selectivity for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Partitioning

Shape selectivity is important in reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separations, where stationary phases are capable of separating geometric isomers, thereby resolving solutes based on their three-dimensional structure or shape rather than other chemical differences. Numerous chromatographic studies have been carried out using n-alkyl-chain-modified columns to understand how molecular shape affects retention. For polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), it was found that planar compounds were selectively retained over nonplanar structures of comparable molecular weight on surfaces with longer n-alkyl chains, higher chain-density, or at lower temperatures, where selectivity likely arises with greater ordering of the n-alkyl chains. A limitation of these studies, however, is the small range of chain ordering that can be achieved and lack of a direct measure of the n-alkyl-chain order of the stationary phases. In this work, we employ a C₁₈ stationary phase modified with a monolayer of phospholipid as a means of significantly varying the n-alkyl chain order. These hybrid-supported lipid bilayers, which have previously been employed as membrane-like stationary phases for measuring lipophilicity, provide a unique approach to control n-alkyl chain ordering by varying the acyl chain length and degree of unsaturation of the phospholipid modifier. The degree of alkyl-chain order of the resulting modified surfaces is determined from the ratio of trans- versus gauche-conformers, measured in situ within individual porous particles by confocal Raman microscopy. This methodology was also used to assess the affinity of these surfaces for planar versus nonplanar PAH molecules. The retention selectivity for the planar versus nonplanar compounds, thus determined, was found to vary significantly and systematically with the degree of order of the acyl/alkyl chains in the hybrid-supported lipid bilayers. The investigation also demonstrates the utility of confocal Raman microscopy for interrogating the impact of solute partitioning on stationary-phase structure within porous chromatographic particles.

Confocal Raman Microscopy Investigation of Molecular Transport into Individual Chromatographic Silica Particles

Porous silica is used as a support in a variety of separation processes, including chromatographic separation and solid-phase extraction. The resolution and efficiency of these applications is significantly impacted by the kinetics of partitioning and molecular transport into the interior of the porous particles. Molecular transport in porous silica has been explored previously by measuring chromatographic elution profiles, but such measurements are limited to relatively low retention conditions, where within-particle molecular transport must be inferred from elution profiles of solutes emerging from a packed column. In this work, a measurement of within-particle molecular transport is carried out using confocal Raman microscopy to probe the time-dependent accumulation of pyrene from an aqueous mobile phase into the center of individual C₁₈-chromatographic particles. The measured time constants for pyrene accumulation were much slower than diffusion-limited transport of solute in solution to the particle surface. Furthermore, the accumulation into the center of the particle did not show a time-lag characteristic of slow-transport into the particle interior. The exponential rise of pyrene concentration is, however, consistent with first-order Langmuir adsorption kinetics at low surface coverages. The linear dependence of the time-constant on particle radius indicates an adsorption barrier near the outer boundary of the particle, where the accumulation rate depends on flux across the boundary (proportional to the particle area) to satisfy the within-particle capacity at equilibrium (proportional to the particle volume). The pyrene accumulation kinetics into the porous particle, expressed as a heterogeneous rate constant, were nearly 50-times faster than the pyrene adsorption rate at a planar C₁₈-functionalized silica surface, which demonstrates the impact of multiple surface encounters within the porous structure leading to much greater capture efficiency compared to a planar surface. Monte Carlo simulations of within-particle pyrene diffusion, with the adsorption efficiency estimated from the planar-surface adsorption rate, predict a diffusion-to-capture distance within the porous particle that is within 40% of that observed in the radial dependence of the pyrene within-particle accumulation results.

Adsorption of the cationic surfactant benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium chloride at the silica-water interface and metal salt effects on the adsorption kinetics

The adsorption of the cationic surfactant benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium (BDMHA(+)) chloride has been studied at the hydrophilic silica-water interface by Raman spectroscopy in total internal reflection geometry (TIR Raman). This Raman spectroscopic technique takes advantage of an evanescent electric field that is generated at the silica-water interface in TIR mode with specific probing depth. The present study demonstrates the capabilities of the TIR Raman sampling configuration to provide structural information and simultaneously serve as an experimental platform for studying thermodynamic and kinetic properties of BDMHA(+)Cl(-) at the silica-water interface at neutral pH and compare its adsorption behavior with the modified adsorption properties in the presence of four different concentrations of a divalent metal salt. Spectral analysis of the Raman scattering intensities as a function of time and concentration provided the input data for evaluating adsorption properties of the surfactant in the absence and presence of the metal salt additive. Addition of the magnesium metal salt lowered the cmc, altered the surface excess of the surfactant, and increased the Langmuir adsorption constants, as well as the magnitude of the free energy of adsorption, and adsorption kinetics, proportional to the concentrations of the metal salt. Adsorption isotherms based on a modified Langmuir adsorption model were established for five systems: the pure surfactant in aqueous solution, and the surfactant in the presence of 5, 10, 50, and 100 mM of magnesium chloride. The metal salt did not enhance surfactant adsorption at very low surfactant concentrations below 5 μM, where adsorption occurs by electrostatic attraction; the divalent metal salt, however, favorably influenced the adsorption behavior in the aggregate formation region by reducing the electrostatic repulsion between the polar surfactant head groups, and enhancing the hydrophobic effect between the hydrophobic surfactant alkyl chains and the polar water molecules.

Confocal Raman microscopy of protein adsorbed in chromatographic particles

Confocal Raman microscopy is a nondestructive analytical technique that combines the chemical information from vibrational spectroscopy with the spatial resolution of confocal microscopy. It was applied, for the first time, to measure conformation and distribution of protein adsorbed in wetted chromatographic particles. Monoclonal antibody was loaded into the Fractogel EMD SO(3) (M) cation exchanger at 2 mS/cm or 10 mS/cm. Amide I and III frequencies in the Raman spectrum of the adsorbed protein suggest that there are no detectable changes of the original β-sheet conformation in the chromatographic particles. Protein depth profile measurements indicate that, when the conductivity is increased from 2 mS/cm to 10 mS/cm, there is a change in mass transport mechanism for protein adsorption, from the shrinking-core model to the homogeneous-diffusion model. In this study, the use of confocal Raman microscopy to measure protein distribution in chromatographic particles fundamentally agrees with previous confocal laser scanning microscopic investigations, but confocal Raman spectroscopy enjoys additional advantages: use of unlabeled protein to eliminate fluorescent labeling, ability for characterization of protein secondary structure, and ability for spectral normalization to provide a nondestructive experimental approach to correct light attenuation effects caused by refractive index (RI) mismatching in semiopaque chromatographic particles.

Spontaneous waveguide Raman spectroscopy of self-assembled monolayers in silica micropores

Advances in nanoscience are critically dependent on the ability to control and probe chemical and physical phenomena in confined geometries. A key challenge is to identify confinement structures with high surface area to volume ratios and controlled surface boundaries that can be probed quantitatively at the molecular level. Herein we report an approach for probing molecular structures within nano- to microscale pores by the application of spontaneous Raman spectroscopy. We demonstrate the method by characterization of the structural features of picomole quantities of well-organized octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) monolayers self-assembled on the interior pore surfaces of high aspect ratio (1 μm diameter × 1-10 cm length), near-atomically smooth silica microstructured optical fibers (MOFs). The simple Raman backscattering collection geometry employed is well suited for a wide variety of diagnostic applications as demonstrated by tracking the combustion of the hydrocarbon chains of the OTS self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and spectral confirmation of the formation of an adsorbed monolayer of human serum albumin (HSA) protein. Using this MOF Raman approach, molecular processes in precisely defined, highly confined geometries can be probed at high pressures and temperatures, with a wide range of excitation wavelengths from the visible to the near-IR, and under other external perturbations such as electric and magnetic fields.

Raman Spectral Conformational Order Indicators in Perdeuterated Alkyl Chain Systems

Conformational order indicators for perdeuterated alkyl chain systems are identified in the Raman spectra of nonadecane-d40, polyethylene-d4, and stearic acid-d35. Six spectral indicators are identified: I[nu(a)(CD2)2196]/I[nu(a)(CD2)2172], I[nu(C-C)G]/I[nu(C-C)T], I[nu(s)(CD3)]/I[nu(a)(CD2)2172], I[nu(s)(CD2)]/I[nu(a)(CD2)2172], and the full width at half-maximum (fwhm) and frequency of the nu(s)(CD2) mode. Among these indicators, the ratio of I[nu(a)(CD2)2196]/I[nu(a)(CD2)2172] is considered a primary indicator of conformational order, since it responds to alkyl chain conformational changes in a manner similar to the I[nu(a)(CH2)]/I[nu(s)(CH2)] primary indicator for hydrogenated systems. Other indicators are correlated to this primary indicator to derive a better understanding of the effect of structural attributes on conformational order in perdeuterated alkyl chain systems. These Raman spectral order indicators are applicable to any perdeuterated alkyl-containing system including lipids, biological membranes, alkylsilane-based chromatographic stationary phases, and self-assembled monolayers.

Solvents effects on the conformational order of triacontyl modified silica gels as evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

C30 alkyl modified silica gels have attracted much attention because of their enhanced shape selectivity for various types of analytes, which for instance cannot be separated with conventional C8 and C18 stationary phases. Since the retention processes strongly depend on the nature of solvents and composition of the stationary phases, a FTIR study was conducted to evaluate the influence of solvents on the conformational order of the alkyl chains in C30 alkyl modified silica gels. Variable temperature IR measurements are carried out between 273 and 353 K in the presence of polar and nonpolar solvents. Information about the conformational behavior of the tethered alkyl chains is derived from the analysis of the symmetric and antisymmetric CH2 stretching band regions. Polar solvents show both enhanced conformational order and disorder of the alkyl chains - irrespective of temperature - when compared to dry C30 alkyl modified silica gels, while nonpolar solvents in general give rise to enhanced conformational disorder in the alkyl chain region. Moreover, for polar solvents a correlation exists between the stretching band position, reflecting alkyl chain conformational order, and the solvent solvatochromic parameter pi*. Finally, both partition and adsorption models are considered to play an important role for the solvent-alkyl chain interactions which in turn determines the conformational order of the alkyl chains and thus the chromatographic properties of these phases.

Chain conformation and solvent partitioning in reversed-phase liquid chromatography: Monte Carlo simulations for various water/methanol concentrations

Many structural models for the stationary phase in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) systems have been suggested from thermodynamic and spectroscopic measurements and theoretical considerations. To provide a molecular picture of chain conformation and solvent partitioning in a typical RPLC system, a particle-based Monte Carlo simulation study is undertaken for a dimethyl octadecyl (C(18)) bonded stationary phase on a model siliceous substrate in contact with mobile phases having different methanol/water concentrations. Following upon previous simulations for gas-liquid chromatography and liquid-liquid phase equilibria, the simulations are conducted using the configurational-bias Monte Carlo method in the Gibbs ensemble and the transferable potentials for phase equilibria force field. The simulations are performed for a chain surface density of 2.9 micromol/m(2), which is a typical bonded-phase coverage for mono-functional alkyl silanes. The solvent concentrations used here are pure water, approximately 33 and 67% mole fraction of methanol and pure methanol. The simulations show that the chain conformation depends only weakly on the solvent composition. Most chains are conformationally disordered and tilt away from the substrate normal. The interfacial width increases with increasing methanol content and, for mixtures, the solvent shows an enhancement of the methanol concentration in a 10 Angstrom region outside the Gibbs dividing surface. Residual surface silanol groups are found to provide hydrogen bonding sites that lead to the formation of substrate bound water and methanol clusters, including bridging clusters that penetrate from the solvent/chain interfacial region all the way to the silica surface.

Influence of solvents on the conformational order of C18 alkyl modified silica gels

The influence of solvents on the conformational order of C(18) alkyl modified silica gels is studied by means of variable temperature FTIR spectroscopy. Symmetric and anti-symmetric CH(2) stretching modes were utilized for getting qualitative information about the changes in alkyl chain conformational order as a function of both protonated and perdeuterated solvents. It was found that interaction between the C(18) alkyl modified silica gels and the mobile phase results in pronounced changes of the alkyl chain conformational order. Furthermore, it was observed that some perdeuterated solvents exhibit isotope effects, which again is reflected by a different alkyl chain conformational order as compared to the corresponding stationary phases with protonated solvents.

Order and disorder in alkyl stationary phases

Covalently modified surfaces represent a unique state of matter that is not well described by liquid or solid phase models. The chemical bond in tethered alkanes imparts order to the surface in the form of anisotropic properties that are evident in chromatographic and spectroscopic studies. An understanding of the structure, conformation, and organization of alkyl-modified surfaces is requisite to the design of improved materials and the optimal utilization of existing materials. In recent years, the study of alkyl-modified surfaces has benefited from advances in modern analytical instrumentation. Aspects of alkyl chain conformation and motion have been investigated through the use of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and neutron scattering studies. Chromatography provides complementary evidence of alkyl chain organization through interactions with solute probes. Computational simulations offer insights into the structure of covalently modified surfaces that may not be apparent through empirical observation. This manuscript reviews progress achieved in the study of the architecture of alkyl-modified surfaces.

Raman spectroscopic study of the conformational order of octadecylsilane stationary phases: effects of electrolyte and pH

This study investigates effects of the electrolyte, of acidic and basic compounds, and of pH on the rotational and conformational order of octadecylsilane stationary phases with surface coverages of 3.09 and 6.45 micromol/m(2). Both phases exhibit an increase in alkyl chain rotational and conformational order in 5-200 mM aqueous electrolyte solutions relative to water. These stationary phases are effectively "salted-out" of aqueous electrolyte solutions, thereby causing alkyl chain intermolecular interactions to increase with a concomitant increase in alkyl chain order. Although the presence of acidic and basic compounds generally has no effect on the conformational order of either stationary phase as a function of pH, the higher coverage stationary phase does exhibit pH-dependent changes in aqueous solutions of benzoic acid. At pH values below the pK(a) of benzoic acid, the conformational order of this stationary phase is unchanged relative to that observed in the same pH solution in the absence of benzoic acid. In light of independent evidence that such monosubstituted aromatics interact with the octadecylsilane stationary phase under these conditions, the absence of a measurable effect on alkyl chain order for these conditions is attributed to benzoic acid self-association at the stationary phase-mobile phase interface. In contrast, at pH values above the pK(a) of benzoic acid, slight disordering of the alkyl chains is observed and is attributed to repulsive interactions between retained benzoate anions.