Capillary electrokinetic chromatography with charged linear polymers as a nonmicellar pseudostationary phase: determination of capacity factors and characterization by solvation parameters.

A permanent polycation, polydiallyldimethylammonium (PDADMA), is applied as a linear, polymeric, replaceable, and nonmicellar pseudostationary phase for the separation of neutral analytes by capillary electrokinetic chromatography. It is shown that this polymer used in the background electrolyte is able to separate the analytes even if it does not form micelles under the given conditions. The most favorable aspect for practical use lays in the simple replacement of the separation media after each run, thus generating highly reproducible conditions. To determine the capacity factors of the analytes, a new method, based on an isotachophoretic regime, has been introduced for the measurement of the electrophoretic mobility of the polymeric pseudo-stationary phase. The capacity factors in the separation system, derived from the mobilities of the polymer, the electroosmotic flow, and the mobilities of 15 individual aromatic analytes, range between 0.3 and 1.2 for the given separation media (aqueous solution of acetate buffer, pH 5.2, with 4% w/w PDADMA). The type of interaction in the pseudochromatographic system was clarified from solvation parameters based on the linear free energy relationship model. It was found that pi and n electron interactions and hydrogen-bond basicity of the polymer, as compared with the aqueous bulk phase, are the main cause of retention of the analytes.

Capillary electrokinetic chromatography with polyethyleneimine as replaceable cationic pseudostationary phase. Influence of methanol and acetonitrile on separation selectivity.

The effect of methanol and acetonitrile, respectively, on the separation of neutral compounds (benzyl alcohol, phenols) is investigated in electrokinetic chromatographic (EKC) systems consisting of polyethyleneimine (PEI) as charged, polymeric, replaceable pseudostationary phase. The separation systems consist of a buffer solution (2-morpholinoethanesulfonic acid, pH 7.0, 20 mM) containing 0.3-0.9% (w/v) PEI as additive and a varying percentage of methanol (0-50%, v/v) or acetonitrile (0-30%, v/v). EKC is carried out in fused-silica capillaries [47.0 cm (effective length 40.3 cm) x 100 microns I.D.]. They are dynamically coated with PEI, resulting in an electroosmotic flow directed towards the anode. The neutral analytes are migrating with the electroosmotic flow, and are retarded by the electrically driven counterflow of PEI. Separation of the analytes follows in the sequence benzyl alcohol, phenol, resorcinol, pyrogallol, reflecting the increasing hydrogen bond acidity and polarity (polarizibility) of the solutes. However, addition of methanol or acetonitrile causes a drastic loss of resolution, whereby the relative retention of the separands (related to benzyl alcohol) indicates a decrease of retardation upon addition of the organic solvents.

Separation of neutral compounds by capillary electrokinetic chromatography using polyethyleneimine as replaceable cationic pseudostationary phase.

Polyethyleneimine (PEI, molecular weight 6 x 10(5) - 1 x 10(6)) is applied as a positively charged pseudostationary phase for electrokinetic chromatography (EKC) of uncharged mono- and oligophenols. EKC is carried out in PEI-coated fused-silica capillaries (with electroosmotic flow directed towards the anode) in 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) buffer (pH 7.0, 20 mM) with PEI added to the solution in concentrations up to 0.70% w/v. The pseudostationary phase leads to a retardation of the solutes mainly according to the number (and the position) of the OH-groups of the separands, and is not influenced significantly by methyl groups. For 0.70% w/v PEI solution, for instance, the relative retention, rho, has values between 0.33 and 0.53. For the systems with the highest resolution of the separands (0.25-0.30% PEI) 190,000 plates per meter are observed. The results indicate that the separation selectivity is mainly caused by ion-dipole interactions between the OH-groups of the solutes and the pseudostationary phase.