Retention of ions on nonporous charged stationary phases

The interactions between ion-exchange resins and counterions consist of several mechanisms, such as ion-pair formation between active sites and counterions, specific adsorption, solvation changes, and double-layer accumulation. The double-layer accumulation of ions, which is a typical nonstoichiometric mechanism, is an important factor governing overall ion-exchange chromatographic retention when a major part of the stationary-phase surface is in contact with eluent flows. Nonporous stationary phases, where solutes are accessible to the surfaces by convection as well as by diffusion, possibly highlight this nonstoichiometric contribution through the coupling of a flow profile with an electrostatic potential function. The retention of ions on nonporous stationary phases has been interpreted by a model derived on the basis of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation including solvation change terms. Unusual retention behaviors have been confirmed only for anions, and can be explained by the model including the assumption that anions undergo solvation changes in a thin layer (approximately 5 nm thickness) at the vicinity of the stationary phase; the thickness should be a function of eluent flow rates. This strongly suggests that there is a difference in solvation nature between cations and anions. It can be inferred that water molecules interacting with polymer domains of the stationary phase behave like single molecules and cannot form a stable hydration shell around an anion as usually seen in bulk solution.     

Tentacle-type zwitterionic stationary phase prepared by surface-initiated graft polymerization of 3-[N,N-dimethyl-N-(methacryloyloxyethyl)-ammonium] propanesulfonate through peroxide groups tethered on porous silica

A novel stationary phase with tentacle-type zwitterionic interaction layer was synthesized by free radical graft polymerization of 3-[N,N-dimethyl-N-(methacryloyloxyethyl)ammonium]propanesulfonate (SPE) from the surface of Kromasil porous silica particles. The polymerization was initiated by thermal cleavage of tert-butylperoxy groups covalently attached to the particle surface, and the material therefore carries a tentacle-type polymeric interaction layer with 3-sulfopropylbetaine functional moieties. The composition of the surface graft was determined by elemental analysis, and the surface charge was measured using photon correlation spectroscopy. The measured zeta-potentials were close to 0 and nearly independent of pH, and the tentacle character of the interactive layers were evident from the lack of colloidal stability in the absence of salt (antipolyelectrolytic behavior) and a marked increase in column back-pressure when the concentration of perchloric acid or perchlorate salt was increased. The chromatographic properties were evaluated on columns packed with the functionalized material, and it was shown that this zwitterionic stationary phase could simultaneously and independently separate inorganic anions and cations using aqueous solutions of perchloric acid or perchlorate salts as eluents. The material was also capable of separating two acidic and three basic proteins in a single run, using gradient salt elution at constant pH.     

Monolithic column with zwitterionic stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography

A capillary electrochromatography (CEC) monolithic column with zwitterionic stationary phases was prepared by in situ polymerization of butyl methacrylate, ethylene dimethacrylate, methacrylic acid, and 2-(dimethyl amino) ethyl methacrylate in the presence of porogens. The stationary phases have zwitterionic functional groups, that is, both tertiary amine and acrylic acid groups, so the ionization of those groups on the zwitterionic stationary phase was affected by the pH values of the mobile phase, and further affects the strength and direction of the electroosmotic flow (EOF). Separations of alkylbenzenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons based on the hydrophobic mechanism were obtained. Separation of various types of polar compounds, including phenols, anilines, and peptides, on the prepared column were performed under CEC mode with anodic and cathodic EOF, and different separation selectivities of those polar analytes were observed on the monolithic capillary column by using mobile phases with different pH values.     

High-stability ionic liquids. A new class of stationary phases for gas chromatography

Room-temperature ionic liquids are a class of non-molecular ionic solvents with low melting points. Their properties have the potential to be especially useful as stationary phases in gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). A series of common ionic liquids were evaluated as GLC stationary phases. It was found that many of these ionic liquids suffer from low thermal stability and possess unfavorable retention behavior for some classes of molecules. Two new ionic liquids were engineered and synthesized to overcome these drawbacks. The two new ionic liquids (1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate) are based on "bulky" imidazolium cations with trifluoromethanesulfonate anions. Their solvation characteristics were evaluated using the Abraham solvation parameter model and correlations made between the structure of the cation and the degree to which the ionic liquids retain certain analytes. The new ionic liquids have good thermal stability up to 260 degrees C, provide symmetrical peak shapes, and because of their broad range of solvation-type interactions, exhibit dual-nature selectivity behavior. In addition, the ionic liquid stationary phases provided different retention behavior for many analytes compared to a commercial methylphenyl polysiloxane GLC stationary phase. This difference in selectivity is due to the unique solvation characteristics of the ionic liquids and makes them very useful as dualnature GLC stationary phases.     

Dependence of selectivity on eluent composition and temperature in the HPLC separation of taxanes using fluorinated and hydrocarbon phases

Optimized conditions of aqueous acetonitrile (ACN) eluent composition and temperature are established for the rapid separation of a standard mixture of 15 taxanes, on each of five different fluorinated phases and one C8 hydrocarbonaceous phase. On both types of stationary phase, the retention factors (k') of most of the taxanes decrease at the same rate with increasing ACN concentration. However, the taxanes containing a xylosyl group show a higher rate of decrease, which necessitates careful control of eluent composition to achieve separation of all the taxanes. Temperature can have a remarkable and counterintuitive effect on retention and selectivity. For the C8 phase with eluent compositions in the 40%-60% ACN range, the k' values of the xylosyl taxanes show an increase with increasing temperature over the range from 25 to 55 degrees C; the k' values for 10-deacetyl baccatin III and 10-deacetyl taxol go through a maximum over the same ranges. The other taxanes behave normally. The same pattern is observed on the propyl(perfluorophenyl) phase, although this and the other fluorinated phases are less retentive. This accounts for the common belief that fluorinated stationary phases offer resolution of taxanes superior to that on hydrocarbon phases. The higher retention on the latter requires eluent compositions near 50% ACN, where careful temperature optimization is required, which in practice is rarely performed. The lesser retention on the fluorinated phases allows use of lower ACN concentrations where the aberrant temperature effect is not found, so good separations without temperature optimization can be achieved. Further evidence of the lack of any fundamental difference in the selectivity of the two types of stationary phase is the similarity of the surface excess isotherms measured for ACN/H2O on both the fluorinated and hydrocarbon phases.     

A mechanism of separation in electrostatic ion chromatography

The retention mechanism of electrostatic ion chromatography (EIC) is currently under debate and is the focus of this paper. A comprehensive set of retention data has been obtained on a C18 column coated with the zwitterionic surfactant 3-(N,N-dimethylmyristylammonio)propanesulfonate used with a range of mobile phases in which both the mobile-phase anion and cation have been varied systematically. Electro-osmotic flow measurements were also obtained on fused-silica capillaries coated with the zwitterion (and also some monofunctional surfactants) and were used to evaluate the nature of the surface charge on the layer of adsorbed surfactant in the presence of various background electrolytes. A new retention mechanism for EIC was developed on the basis of these data. This mechanism proposes that equilibration of the bound zwitterions with a mobile phase containing a suitable electrolyte causes the establishment of a charged layer created by the terminal sulfonate groups of the zwitterion, which acts as a Donnan membrane. The magnitude and polarity of the charge on this membrane depends on the nature of the mobile-phase ions. The Donnan membrane exerts weak electrostatic repulsion or attraction effects on analyte anions. A second component of the retention mechanism is chaotropic interaction of the analyte anion with the quaternary ammonium functional group of the zwitterion. This interaction exerts the major effect on the separation selectivity of EIC, such that analyte anions are eluted in order of increasing chaotropic interactions in accordance with the Hofmeister series.     

Measurement of mobile-phase volume in reversed-phase liquid chromatography and evaluation of the composition of liquid layer formed by solvation of packing materials

The mobile-phase volumes (Vm) in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) with alkyl-bonded silica, defined as the difference between the total volume of eluent in the column (V0) and the volume of the eluent solvent layer formed by solvation of the bonded phase (VL), are determined by the method derived from the eluent electrolyte effect on the retention of ionic analytes. The validity of the Vm values obtained is evaluated by comparing them with the retention volumes of various organic compounds and inorganic ions, which have been suggested as unretained markers, and those obtained from a linear dependence of the logarithmic retention factor on the carbon numbers of homologous series. From the results obtained, it has been concluded that the solvated liquid phase on a column packing material should be assigned to a part of the stationary phase and the method developed for determination of the Vm value based on the ion partition model gives the most reasonable value as the mobile-phase volume in RPLC. The volume and the solvent composition of the solvated liquid phase on C1, C8, and C18 bonded silica are estimated, and the effects of organic modifiers and the physicochemical structures of the packing materials on these values are discussed.     

Macroporous hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. Part 4: Growth of rat bone marrow stromal cells in three-dimensional hydrogels with positive and negative surface charges and in polyelectrolyte complexes

The growth of bone marrow stromal cells was assessed in vitro in macroporous hydrogels based on 2-hydro- xyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) copolymers with different electric charges. Copolymers of HEMA with sodium methacrylate (MA⁻) carried a negative electric charge, copolymers of HEMA with [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride (MOETA⁻) carried a positive electric charge and terpolymers of HEMA, MA⁻ and MOETA⁺ carried both, positive and negative electric charges. The charges in the polyelectrolyte complexes were shielded by counter-ions. The hydrogels had similar porosities, based on a comparison of their diffusion parameters for small cations as measured by the real-time tetramethylammonium iontophoretic method of diffusion analysis. The cell growth was studied in the peripheral and central regions of the hydrogels at 2 hours and 2, 7, 14 and 28 days after cell seeding. Image analysis revealed the highest cellular density in the HEMA-MOETA⁺ copolymers; most of the cells were present in the peripheral region of the hydrogels. A lower density of cells but no difference between the peripheral and central regions was observed in the HEMA-MA⁻ copolymers and in polyelectrolyte complexes. This study showed that positively charged functional groups promote the adhesion of cells.     

Control of electroosmotic flow and wall interactions in capillary electrophoresis capillaries by photografted zwitterionic polymer surface layers

A novel capillary with covalently bonded zwitterionic surface modification was prepared by photograft polymerization of the zwitterionic monomer N,N-dimethyl-N-methacryloxyethyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium betaine, onto the inner surface of a UV-transparent fused-silica capillary. Although the zwitterionic moieties in the resulting polymeric "tentacles" comprise both a positive quaternary ammonium group and a negative sulfonate group, the coating has a net zero charge. The electroosmotic flow (EOF) was therefore extensively suppressed on the grafted capillary compared to the native silica capillary and to the silica capillary that had been activated for graft polymerization by reaction with 3-(methacryloyl)oxypropyltrimethoxysilane. It was also found that the EOF can be varied by adding chaotropic anions or divalent cations such as perchlorate ion and magnesium ion to the running buffer, due to the interaction between these ions and zwitterionic functional group. This provides a new way of altering the EOF and the wall interaction without changing the pH or the overall ionic strength of the separation buffer. The influence of pH and ionic strength of separation buffer on the EOF were also investigated to optimize the separation conditions. Good separations of a mixture containing eight inorganic anions were achieved within 5 min under optimal conditions by capillary zone electrophoresis. The newly prepared capillary was also well suited for the separation of peptides or proteins.     

Ion chromatographic determination of acidity

The practice of determining acid concentrations by titrations has remained unchanged for more than a century. We introduce a new approach to the determination of acid concentrations based on cation exchange chromatography. We demonstrate the ability of sulfonated styrene-divinylbenzene based stationary phases to separate the hydrogen ion from other monovalent cations. The eluent is a dilute solution of a neutral salt, sometimes containing a small concentration of the corresponding acid, e.g., sodium ethanesulfonate, pH adjusted with ethanesulfonic acid. The high equivalent conductance (approximately 350 S.cm2/equiv) of H+ and relatively low eluent concentration allows sensitive conductometric detection of H+, down to the 50 microM level under favorable conditions. The conductometric response to H+ can be linear over a wide range of H+ concentrations, from sub-millimolar to several molar concentrations. The system allows the rapid quantitation of strong acids; weak acids can also be determined depending on pKa and injected concentration. The determinations of several strong and weak acids are presented along with factors that govern their chromatographic analysis.     

Effect of chemical composition on corneal cellular response to photopolymerized materials comprising 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and acrylic acid

Characterization of corneal cellular response to hydrogel materials is an important issue in ophthalmic applications. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the feed composition of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)/acrylic acid (AAc) and material compatibility towards corneal stromal and endothelial cells. The monomer solutions of HEMA and AAc were mixed at varying volume ratios of 92:0, 87:5, 82:10, 77:15, and 72:20, and were subjected to UV irradiation. Results of electrokinetic measurements showed that an increase in absolute zeta potential of photopolymerized membranes is observed with increasing the volume ratios of AAc/HEMA. Following 4 days of incubation with various hydrogels, the primary rabbit corneal stromal and endothelial cell cultures were examined for viability, proliferation, and pro-inflammatory gene expression. The samples prepared from the solution mixture containing 0–10 vol.% AAc displayed good cytocompatibility. However, with increasing volume ratio of AAc and HEMA from 15:77 to 20:72, the decreased viability, inhibited proliferation, and stimulated inflammation were noted in both cell types, probably due to the stronger charge–charge interactions. On the other hand, the ionic pump function of corneal endothelial cells exposed to photopolymerized membranes was examined by analyzing the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase alpha 1 subunit (ATP1A1) expression level. The presence of material samples having higher anionic charge density (i.e., zeta potential of ? 38 to ? 56 mV) may lead to abnormal transmembrane transport. It is concluded that the chemical composition of HEMA/AAc has an important influence on the corneal stromal and endothelial cell responses to polymeric biomaterials.     

Covalently bound ionene polyelectrolyte-silica gel stationary phases for HPLC

Micelle-mimetic ionene-based stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are prepared by attaching [3,16]- and [3,22]-ionenes to aminopropyl silica through a carbon-nitrogen bond. These [x,y]-ionenes are polyelectrolytic molecules consisting of dimethylammonium charge centers interconnected by alternating alkyl chain segments containing x and y methylene groups, some of which can form aggregate species whose properties mimic those of conventional surfactant micelles. These ionene-bonded stationary phases were characterized using different recommended HPLC test mixtures. Test solute chromatographic behavior on the ionene phases was found to be similar to that of intermediate oligomeric or polymeric C-18 and/or phenyl phases, depending upon the specific test mixture employed. In addition, the phases exhibit significant solute shape recognition ability. The ionene stationary phases were successfully employed for the separation of the components of the recommended ASTM reversed-phase test mixture, as well as for ortho-, meta- and para-disubstituted benzenes and other positional or geometric isomeric compounds. The ionene materials allow for chromatographic separations under either reversed-phase or ion-exchange conditions. The retention mechanism on these multimodal phases can occur by hydrophobic partitioning or electrostatic interactions, depending upon the characteristics of the components of the analyte mixture (neutral or anionic). The effects of alteration of the percent organic modifier, flow rate and temperature of the mobile phase on chromatographic retention and efficiency on these phases were briefly examined.     

Pseudohalides in Lead‐Based Perovskite Semiconductors

The emerging class of lead halide perovskite (LHP) semiconductors offers a surprising combination of low cost, ease of preparation, outstanding material properties, and performance in optoelectronic devices that has not yet been observed in any other class of material. Considering their general ABX₃ formula, the halide (X) composition in LHP compositions has proven to be one of the best handles to control the material characteristics such as bandgap, morphology, and electronic properties. However, compared to the amount of effort that has been expended to discover new A cations and B cations, relatively few reports have dealt with the subject of discovering new X anions outside of the series of halides (Cl^?, Br^?, I^?). In principal, a much wider range of anions with a ?1 charge (pseudohalides) may form the ABX₃ stoichiometry with Pb²⁺, yet the general ability of polyatomic pseudohalides to form semiconducting perovskite crystal phases with Pb²⁺ remains an open question. Herein, the prospect of using polyatomic pseudohalide anions in LHP semiconductors is addressed.     

Nonmolecular solvents in separation methods: dual nature of room temperature ionic liquids

Room temperature ionic liquids (RTIL) are molten salts starting to be used as nonmolecular solvents in separation methods mainly for their extremely low vapor pressure and thermal stability. RTILs are formed by an anion associated to a cation. This intrinsic structure gives them a dual nature. When used as additives in RPLC mobile phases to enhance basic compound separation, RTILs lose their particular physicochemical properties to become just salts. However, a given RTIL is not equivalent to another one made with the same cation. It is shown that both the anion and the cation contribute to solute retention and peak efficiency extending beyond simple "salting-out" or ion-pairing effects. Nine different alkyl-methyl-imidazolium ionic liquids with different alkyl chain length and chloride or BF(4-) or PF(6-) anions were used as additives (50 mM max. conc.) in the liquid chromatography separation of some cationic basic solutes on a Kromasil C18 column. It is shown with sodium salts and an acetonitrile-water 30/70 v/v mobile phase that anions can adsorb on the stationary phase surface according to their lyotropic character. They can also form ion pairs with the cationic basic solutes. Alkyl-imidazolium cations also adsorb on the C18 bonded stationary phase due to hydrophobic character depending on their alkyl chain length. Anion adsorption dramatically increases the cationic solute retention factors when cation adsorption decreases them. The cation adsorption is mainly responsible for peak shape and efficiency enhancements. RTILs are additives that enhance the basic cationic solute peak shape changing peak position. A wise choice of the appropriate combination of anion lyotropy with imidazolium cation hydrophobicity allows playing with solute selectivity and analysis duration.     

Effect of amine counterion type on the retention of basic compounds on octadecyl silane bonded silica-based and polybutadiene-coated zirconia phases

In a previous paper, we compared the mixed-mode retention characteristics of cationic solutes on octadecyl silane-bonded silica (ODS) and polybutadiene-coated zirconia (PBD-ZrO2) phases. It is well recognized that both reversed-phase and ion-exchange interactions contribute to the retention of cations on ODS phases. The reversed-phase interaction results from the bonded hydrocarbon chain; the ion-exchange interaction originates in the ionized residual silanol groups. These two types of interactions also exist on the PBD-ZrO2 phase. The polybutadiene contributes to the reversed-phase interaction and the ionized zirconol, but primarily, the adsorbed Lewis base anions, such as phosphate or fluoride, contribute to the ion-exchange interaction. We have shown that on ODS phases, reversed-phase interactions are much more important, whereas the opposite is true of PBD-ZrO2 phases. In this work, we investigate the effect of several amine mobile phase counterions on the retention of cationic solutes on ODS and PBD-ZrO2 phases. The effects of the chain length and the type of amine (1 degree, 2 degrees, 3 degrees) counterion on the retention of basic compounds were studied. In contrast to older studies of type A silica-based phases, the results show that the chain length and type of the amine blocker do not have a large effect on the retention of basic compounds with the newer type B silica-based materials. However, on the PBD-ZrO2 phase, very striking differences in retention were observed with different amine counterions. We show that the molecular geometry of the amine counterion has a significant effect on the retention of basic solutes on the PBD-ZrO2 phase.     

Chromatography with two mobile phases

Experimental results for the investigation of chromatographic columns containing two mobile phases are presented. The eluent was composed of mixtures of methanol and carbon dioxide. The column was an uncoated fused-silica-lined stainless steel capillary column. At certain experimental conditions, the eluent divided into two phases, both of which moved through the column. The predominant component of the liquid phase was methanol whereas the gas phase was composed of at least 93 mol % CO2. The columns were studied over a range of feed compositions (45-95 mol % CO2), pressures (61-101 bar), and temperatures (30-100 degrees C). The compositions and densities of each phase were calculated from the Peng-Robinson equation of state. The residence times of the two mobile phases were determined by tracer pulse chromatography. The partition coefficients of a probe solute, benzene, were measured along with the retention times of neon and the total volume of the chromatographic column as a function of temperature, pressure, and stoichiometric feed composition. The calculated column volumes, that is the volume of the liquid and gas, were constant over the full range of feed composition. The partition coefficient of benzene was constant at fixed pressure and temperature, varied logarithmically with density at fixed temperature and feed composition, and displayed a maximum at intermediate temperatures at fixed pressure and feed composition. The measured retention times of neon were consistently equivalent to the calculated residence times of the gas phase, indicating that neon did not dissolve in the liquid phase and could thus serve as an accurate dead time marker. The implementation of chromatography with two mobile phases produces a chromatographic "window". There is a lower limit for the retention volume of all solutes, viz., the residence time of the gas phase, exactly the same as normal chromatography. However, elimination of the stationary phase produces an upper limit to the retention volumes of solutes. This upper limit is the residence time of the liquid phase, so there is a retention window such that tG < or = ti < or = tL for all solutes.     

A study of the Lewis acid-base interactions of vinylphosphonic acid-modified polybutadiene-coated zirconia

Polybutadiene-coated zirconia (PBD-ZrO2) is very useful for reversed-phase separations under a wide variety of conditions. Its excellent chemical (pH = 1-13) and thermal (up to 150 degrees C) stability distinguish it from silica-based reversed phases. Just as with silica-based phases, zirconia's surface chemistry significantly influences the chromatography of certain classes of analytes. Zirconia's hard Lewis acid sites can be chromatographically problematic. Analytes such as carboxylic acids strongly interact with these sites on PBD-ZrO2 and do not elute. Addition of phosphate or other strong, hard Lewis bases to the eluent brings about elution, but the resulting peak is often tailed and broad. Typically, cationic solutes are more retained in the presence of phosphate or fluoride due to adsorption of the Lewis base additives and the concomitant development of a negative charge on the surface. This Coulombic interaction can be used to optimize selectivity, but the reversed-phase-cation-exchange retention can produce broad peaks with excessive retention. As an alternative to adding Lewis bases to the eluent, we studied the effect of permanently modifying PBD-ZrO2 by covalently attaching vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) to PBD which was predeposited in the pores of zirconia. We have investigated the chromatography of acids, bases, and small peptides on VPA-modified PBD-ZrO2 (VPA-PBD-ZrO2) and compared it to PBD-ZrO2. VPA-PBD-ZrO2 is a reversed-cation-exchange phase with properties quite different from PBD-ZrO2. The chemical stability of both phases led us to explore how low-pH (1.5-3), ultralow-pH (0), and high-pH (12) eluents effect the retention properties of these mixed-mode phases. Ultralow-pH eluents effectively separate small peptides on both phases. This approach gives lower retention, without sacrificing resolution, and much higher efficiency for small peptides than previously reported.     

P(GMA-co-HEMA)/SiO_2大孔复合材料的制备及其在固定化脂肪酶中的应用

以块体SiO2大孔材料为基质,甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯(GMA)和甲基丙烯酸羟乙酯(HEMA)为功能单体,通过原位聚合和溶剂蒸发制备P(GMA-co-HEMA)/SiO2大孔复合材料,用SEM、EDS、BET、FTIR和TGDTA对样品进行表征,并将其用于固定褶皱假丝酵母脂肪酶(CRL)。结果表明:SiO2大孔材料很强的毛细管作用使共聚物均匀地涂敷在其孔壁上,形成P(GMA-co-HEMA)/SiO2复合纳米薄膜。共聚物的负载量和亲疏水性可分别通过改变单体浓度和体积比进行调控,当单体体积浓度为10%、GMA和HEMA的体积比为9∶1时大孔复合材料固定化脂肪酶比酶活达到最高,为3 886.9U/g,与底物反应重复操作8批次后剩余酶活率为68.7%。     

Classical retention mechanism in ion exchange chromatography. Theory and experiment

The classical model for ion exchange chromatography is characterized by firmly adsorbed driving ions at the surface of the stationary phase in an amount required by electroneutrality and stoichiometric ion exchange between the bulk of the eluent electrolyte and this immobilized Stern layer. Retention equations have been derived for system peaks, labeled eluent ions, and analytes in a system containing only strong electrolytes by strictly respecting this model. It is shown that the classical model described dependence of retention data on concentration and composition of the binary eluent with excellent precision, but the resulting system parameters were not self-consistent. Inconsistency of the results might be due to contributions from another retention mechanism.