Single Molecule Spectroscopy Studies of Acid-Base Chemical Gradients Using Nile Red as a Probe of Local Surface Acidity.

Single molecule spectroscopy studies of local acidity along bifunctional acid-base gradients are reported. Gradients are prepared by directional vapor phase diffusion and subsequent reaction of 3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane with a uniform silica film. Gradient formation is confirmed by spectroscopic ellipsometry and by static water contact angle measurements. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to characterize the nitrogen content and degree of nitrogen protonation along the gradient. Nile Red is employed as the probe dye in single molecule spectroscopy studies of these gradients. While Nile Red is well-known for its solvent sensitivity, it is used here, for the first time, to sense the acid/base properties of the film in two-color wide-field fluorescence imaging experiments. The data reveal broad bimodal distributions of Nile Red emission spectra that vary along the gradient direction. The single molecule results are consistent with solution phase ensemble acid/base studies of the dye. The former reveal a gradual transition from a surface dominated by basic aminosilane sites at the high-amine end of the gradient to one dominated by acidic silanol sites at the low-amine end. The sub-diffraction-limited spatial resolution afforded by superlocalization of the single molecules reveals spatial correlations in the acid/base properties of the gradient over ∼200 nm distances. These studies provide data relevant to the use of aminosilane-modified silica in bifunctional, cooperative chemical catalysis.

Simulation of elution profiles in liquid chromatography - IV: Experimental characterization and modeling of solute injection profiles from a modulation valve used in two-dimensional liquid chromatography.

Simulation software for liquid chromatography can accelerate method development capabilities. In two-dimensional chromatography this is particularly attractive because there are more method variables to consider, provided simulations can account for the effects of injecting effluent from the first dimension separation into the second dimension column. In this paper we describe the adaptation of a previously described model (the Forssén model) to enable prediction of the profile of an injection pulse as it exits an Active Solvent Modulation (ASM) valve and enters the second dimension column under a variety of flow rate and sample loop size conditions (a global model). Experimentally measured injection profiles were used to train empirical models capable of generating injection profiles as a function of sample loop volume and flow rate. The resulting parameters were then used to generate an injection profile for a loop volume not used in the training set. The resulting profile agreed well with the experimentally obtained profile for this sample loop. Finally, chromatograms were simulated using previously developed simulation software incorporating the injection profile models developed in this work. Chromatographic peaks were simulated for valerophenone on an Agilent Zorbax Stablebond C18 stationary phase with an acetonitrile/water mobile phase gradient. Results of simulations based on experimental injection profiles, profiles predicted using the Forssén or global models, and rectangular injection profiles were compared. Comparison of the resulting chromatographic peaks revealed good agreement between those produced using experimental profiles or the Forssén or global models, with less than ± 0.3% deviations for retention times and less than ± 10% deviations for the peak widths (expressed as σ).

Fabrication and Characterization of a Reversed-Phase/Strong Cation Exchange Stationary Phase Gradient.

Continuous stationary phase gradients for liquid chromatography (LC) have been recently shown to be a promising method of altering selectivity. In this work, we present the first multicomponent continuous stationary phase gradient for separations involving both reversed-phase (RP) and strong cation exchange (SCX) mechanisms. These columns are fabricated using a two-step methodology based on controlled rate infusion (CRI). First, destructive CRI creates a gradient of excess silanol groups along a uniform C18 column. Next, these columns are infused with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMOS), which bonds to the excess silanol groups. The terminal thiols of the MPTMOS ligands are oxidized with H2O2 to create the sulfonate functionality (SO3-) needed for SCX separations. The success of the modification procedure is characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The stability of the C18-SO3- gradients were found to have less than 5 % retention loss and the column-to-column reproducibility had a relative standard deviation under 9 %. The peak asymmetry factors for seven biogenic amines were found to be between 1.03 ± 0.04 to 1.30 ± 0.02, which illustrates minimal peak tailing due to poor packing and residual silanol groups. Characterization of the gradient columns using an isocratic mobile phase showed a unique elution order compared to a uniform C18 and SO3- columns. At lower counterion concentrations, more than 48 % of the overall retention on the gradient stationary phase is due to a SCX mechanism. Meanwhile, the RP mechanism was shown to predominate at higher counterion concentrations on the gradient columns (SCX retention contribution less than 40 %). Coupling the stationary phase gradient to a salt gradient in the mobile phase showed that the gradient phase provides a unique, intermediate selectivity to the uniform C18 and SO3- columns. Under an ACN mobile phase gradient, a significant increase (p < 0.003) in the retention times of three biogenic amines (15 - 16 %) was observed when the multicomponent gradient was oriented to have a high SO3- ligand density near the detector. This work serves as a proof-of-concept design for a multicomponent stationary phase gradient to continue fundamental studies into retention and encourage novel applications.