High-efficiency liquid chromatographic separation utilizing long monolithic silica capillary columns.

Long monolithic silica-C18 capillary columns of 100 microm i.d. were prepared, and the efficiency was examined using reversed-phase HPLC under a pressure of up to 47 MPa. At linear velocities of 1-2 mm/s, 100,000-500,000 theoretical plates could be generated with a single column (90-440 cm in length) using an acetonitrile-water (80/20) mobile phase with a column dead time (t0) of 5-40 min. It was possible to prepare columns with a minimum plate height of 8.5 +/- 0.5 microm and permeability of (1.45 +/- 0.09) x 10(-13) m(2). The chromatographic performance of a long octadecylsilylated monolithic silica capillary column was demonstrated by the high-efficiency separations of aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene derivatives, and a protein digest. The efficiency for a peptide was maintained for an injection of up to 0.5-2 ng. When three 100 microm i.d. columns were connected to form a 1130-1240 cm column system, 1,000,000 theoretical plates were generated for aromatic hydrocarbons with retention factors of up to 2.4 with a t0 of 150 min. The fact that very high efficiencies were obtained for the retained solutes suggests the practical utility of these long monolithic silica capillary columns.

A kinetic parameter concerning mass transfer in silica monolithic and particulate stationary phases measured by the peak-parking and slow-elution methods.

Mass transfer in monolithic C18-silica stationary phases and C18-silica gel particles was studied. A traditional kinetic parameter, gamma(s)D(s), which is a diffusion coefficient of solute molecules in the stationary phase, was measured by two unusual approaches, i.e., peak-parking and slow-elution methods. The correlation between the ratio of gamma(s)D(s) to molecular diffusivity (Dm) and the retention factor (k) was represented by one common curve, irrespective of the RPLC conditions. A similar curved profile was also observed between another kinetic parameter (D(Ls)), which is related to the axial diffusive molecular migration in the stationary phase, and the retention equilibrium constant (Ka). The values of D(Ls) and Ka were calculated from those of gamma(s)D(s) and k, respectively. The ratio of D(Ls)/Dm increases with decreasing Ka and seems to approach around unity when Ka is infinitely small. The dependence of D(Ls) on Ka was also studied from extra-thermodynamic points of view. The linear correlation between In D(Ls) and In Ka suggests the existence of a kind of linear free energy relationship between the mass transfer in the stationary phase and the retention equilibrium. Because these characteristics of D(Ls) are similar to those of the surface diffusion coefficient (D(sur)), D(Ls) seems to correspond to D(sur).

Properties of monolithic silica columns for HPLC.

Monolithic silica columns and their use in high peak-capacity HPLC separations are reviewed. Monolithic silica columns can potentially provide higher overall performance than particle-packed columns based on the variable external porosity and variable through-pore size/skeleton size ratios. The high permeability of monolithic silica columns resulting from the high porosity is shown to be advantageous to generate large numbers of theoretical plates with long capillary columns. High permeability together with the high stability of the network structures of silica allows their use in high-speed separations required for a second-dimension column in two dimensional HPLC. Disadvantages of monolithic silica columns are also described.

Preparation of glycerol dimethacrylate-based polymer monolith with unusual porous properties achieved via viscoelastic phase separation induced by monodisperse ultra high molecular weight poly(styrene) as a porogen.

The preparation of polymer-based monolith capillary was examined by the use of glycerol dimethacrylate (GDMA) as monomer and monodisperse standard polystyrene (PS) solution in chlorobenzene as porogen. Poly-GDMA monoliths were prepared in situ in test tubes with standard PS having the variety of molecular weight (defined as Mw hereafter) from 50,000 to 3,840,000, and their morphology was compared to that of poly-GDMA monolith prepared in situ with a poor porogenic solvent of GDMA. According to scanning electron micrograph (SEM) observation, the structure of poly-GDMA monolith prepared in situ with toluene as a poor porogenic solvent showed a typical agglomerated globular structure, whereas the morphology of poly-GDMA monolith prepared in situ with the polymer (PS) porogenic solution was transformed from the aggregated globule form to three dimensionally (3D) continuous skeletal structure with the increase of Mw of standard PS utilized. Along with this morphological transformation or change, in the case of poly-GDMA monolith prepared in situ with ultra high Mw standard PS porogenic solution, the pore size distribution showed a sharp bimodal distribution, with one peak being located around 4 nm in the mesopore range (2-50 nm) and the other peak located around 1-2 microm in the macropore range (>50 nm), respectively. The poly-GDMA capillaries were prepared in situ with toluene, low Mw (50,000, 600,000) PS solution in chlorobenzene and the above mentioned ultra high Mw PS solution in chlorobenzene as a porogen, respectively, and measured by mu-HPLC with benzene and n-alkyl phenyl ketone as solutes for the evaluation in aqueous methanol (MeOH/H(2)O = 50/50-80/20, v/v). The permeability of capillaries prepared in situ with ultra high Mw standard PS polymer porogenic solution was much larger, compared to those of the capillaries prepared in situ with low Mw standard PS polymer porogenic solution or with toluene as porogen. On the other hand, the column efficiency was better in the case of the capillary prepared in situ with the ultra high Mw PS solution than in the latter capillaries. Those observations indicated that the ultra high Mw standard PS polymer porogenic solution should delay dynamically the phase separation of polymerizing mixture because of its visco-elasticity and should contribute to the creation of three dimensionally continuous skeletal monolith structure better to afford high separation efficiency.

Faster axial band dispersion in a monolithic silica column than in a particle-packed column.

The contribution of molecular diffusion to peak broadening was studied in a reversed-phase HPLC system, consisting of a monolithic silica C18 column and methanol-water mobile phase. Study on the band broadening effect of holding a solute in a column or elution at very low linear velocity of mobile phase allowed facile determination of the contribution of the molecular diffusion term. Less obstruction against molecular diffusion, or the faster axial band dispersion in a monolithic silica column than in a particle-packed column, was found both in mobile phase and in stationary phase.

How to utilize the true performance of monolithic silica columns.

Ways of utilizing the true separation efficiency of monolithic silica (MS) columns were studied. The true performance of MS columns, both regular-sized (rod-type clad with PEEK resin, 4.6 mm ID, 10 cm) and capillary sized (in 100 or 200 microm ID fused silica capillary, 25-140 cm) was evaluated by calculating the contribution of extra-column effects. HETP values of 7-9 microm were observed for solutes having retention factors (kvalues) of up to 4 for rod columns and up to 15 for a capillary column. The high permeability of MS columns allowed the use of long columns, with several connected together in the case of rod columns. Narrow-bore connectors gave good results. Peak variance caused by a column connector ranges from 50 to 70% of that caused by one rod-type column for up to three connectors or four columns in 80% methanol, but the addition of a 4th or 5th connector to add a 5th and 6th column, respectively, caused a much greater increase in peak variance, especially for long-retained solutes, which is greater than the variance caused by one rod column. Rod columns seem to show slightly lower efficiency at a pressure higher than 10 MPa or so. The use of acetonitrile-water as a mobile phase better preserved the ability of individual rod columns to generate up to 100,000 theoretical plates with 14 columns connected. Methods for eliminating extra-column effects in micro-HPLC were also studied. Split injection and on-column detection resulted in optimum performance. A long MS capillary measuring 140 cm produced 160,000 theoretical plates. The column efficiency of a capillary column was not affected by the pressure, showing advantages over the rod columns that exhibited peak broadening caused by connectors and pressure.

Simple and comprehensive two-dimensional reversed-phase HPLC using monolithic silica columns.

Simple and comprehensive two-dimensional (2D)-HPLC was studied in a reversed-phase mode using monolithic silica columns for second-dimension (2nd-D) separation. Every fraction from the first column, 15 cm long (4.6-mm i.d.), packed with fluoroalkylsilyl-bonded (FR) silica particles, was subjected to the separation in the 2nd-D using one or two octadecylsilylated (C(18)) monolithic silica columns (4.6-mm i.d., 3 cm). Monolithic silica columns in the 2nd-D were eluted at a flow rate of up to 10 mL/min with separation time of 30 s that meets the fractionation every 15-30 s at the first dimension (1st-D) operated at a flow rate of 0.4-0.8 mL/min. Three cases were studied. (1) In the simplest scheme of 2D-HPLC, effluent of the 1st-D was directly loaded into an injector loop of 2nd-D HPLC for 28 s, and 2 s was allowed for injection. (2) Two six-port valves each having a sample loop were used to hold the effluent of the 1st-D alternately for 30 s for one 2nd-D column to effect comprehensive 2D-HPLC without the loss of 1st-D effluent. (3) Two monolithic silica columns were used for 2nd-D by using a switching valve and two sets of 2nd-D chromatographs separating each fraction of the 1st-D effluent with the two 2nd-D columns alternately. In this case, two columns of the same stationary phase (C(18)) or different phases, C(18) and (pentabromobenzyloxy)propylsilyl-bonded (PBB), could be employed at the 2nd-D, although the latter needed two complementary runs. The systems produced peak capacity of approximately 1000 in approximately 60 min in cases 1 and 2 and in approximately 30 min in case 3. The three stationary phases, FR, C(18), and PBB, showed widely different selectivity from each other, making 2D separations possible. The simple and comprehensive 2D-HPLC utilizes the stability and high efficiency at high linear velocities of monolithic silica columns.