Observation of Dynamic Surfactant Adsorption Facilitated by Divalent Cation Bridging

Dynamic evidence of the mechanism for surfactant adsorption to surfaces of like charge has been observed. Additionally, removal and retention of surfactant molecules on the surface were observed as a function of time. A decrease in surface charge is observed when metal counterions are introduced and is dependent on charge density as well as valency of the metal ion. When surfactant species are also present with the metals, a dramatic increase in surface charge arises. We observed that the rate and quantity of surfactant adsorption can be controlled by the presence of divalent Ca²⁺. Under isotonic conditions the introduction of Ca²⁺ is also easily distinguishable from that of monovalent Na⁺ and provides dynamic evidence of the divalent "cation bridging" phenomenon. Dynamic changes to surface charge are experimentally determined by utilizing current monitoring to quantify the zeta potential in a microfluidic device.

Cationic cyclodextrins chemically-bonded chiral stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography

Two covalently bonded cationic β-CD chiral stationary phases (CSPs) prepared by graft polymerization of 6(A)-(3-vinylimidazolium)-6-deoxyperphenylcarbamate-β-cyclodextrin chloride or 6(A)-(N,N-allylmethylammonium)-6-deoxyperphenylcarbamoyl-β-cyclodextrin chloride onto silica gel were successfully applied in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Their enantioseparation capability was examined with 12 racemic pharmaceuticals and 6 carboxylic acids. The results indicated that imidazolium-containing β-CD CSP afforded more favorable enantioseparations than that containing ammonium moiety under normal-phase HPLC. The cationic moiety on β-CD CSPs could form strong hydrogen bonding with analytes in normal-phase liquid chromatography (NPLC) to enhance the analytes' retention and enantioseparations. In reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), the analytes exhibited their maximum retention when the pH of mobile phase was close to their pK(a) value. Inclusion complexation with CD cavity and columbic/ionic interactions with cationic substituent on the CD rim would afford accentuated retention and enantioseparations of the analytes.