Intraparticle mass transfer kinetics on molecularly imprinted polymers of structural analogues of a template

The intraparticle mass transfer kinetics of the structural analogues of a template on a Fmoc-L-Tryptophan (Fmoc-L-Trp) imprinted polymer (MIP) and on the corresponding non-imprinted polymer (NIP) were quantitatively studied using the lumped pore diffusion model (POR) of chromatography. The best equilibrium isotherm models of these compounds were used to calculate the high-concentration band profiles of different substrates on the MIP and the NIP with the POR model. These profiles were compared to experimental band profiles. The numerical values of the intraparticle pore and surface diffusion coefficients were adjusted to determine those that minimized the differences between calculated and experimental profiles. The results of this exercise show that surface diffusion is the dominant intraparticle mass transfer process for the substrates on the polymers and that the energetic heterogeneity of the surface should be considered in accounting for the surface diffusion of the L-enantiomers on the MIP. The surface diffusion coefficient increases with decreasing overall affinity of each substrate for the polymers.     

Isotherm parameters and intraparticle mass transfer kinetics on molecularly imprinted polymers in acetonitrile/buffer mobile phases

The equilibrium isotherm and the intraparticle mass transfer kinetics of the enantiomers of the template were investigated on an Fmoc-L-tryptophan (Fmoc-L-Trp) imprinted polymer at different pHs and water concentrations in acetonitrile/aqueous buffer mobile phases. The equilibrium isotherm data were measured using frontal analysis at . The adsorption energy distribution was found to be trimodal, with narrow modes. Consistent with this distribution, the adsorption data were modeled using a tri-Langmuir isotherm equation and the best estimates of the isotherm parameters were determined. The intraparticle mass transfer parameters were derived by comparing the profiles of experimental overloaded bands and the profiles calculated using the isotherm model and the lumped pore diffusion (POR) model of chromatography. These results showed that different adsorption and mass transfer mechanisms exist in mobile phases made of acetonitrile/aqueous buffer and of acetonitrile/acetic acid solutions.