Molecular solute with stationary phase surfac

There are two ways a solute can interact with a stationary phase surface. The solute molecule can interact with the adsorbed solvent layer and rest on the top of it. This is called sorption interaction and occurs when the molecular forces between the solute and the stationary phase are relatively weak compared with the forces between the solvent molecules and the stationary phase. The second type is where the solute molecules displace the solvent molecules from the surface and interact directly with the stationary phase itself. This is called displacement interaction and occurs when the interactive forces between the solute molecules and the stationary phase surface are much stronger than those between the solvent molecules and the stationary phase surface. An example of sorption interaction is shown in Figure 9. 

Apart from enabhng rapid prediction of solute retention, the Soczewinski equation enables molecular-level scrutiny of solute-stationary phase interactions. Thus, a numeric value of the parameter n of Eq. (11) of approximately unity (n 1) implies one-point attachment of the solute molecule to the stationary-phase surface. Numerical values of n higher than unity indicate that in a given chromatographic system, solute molecules interact with the stationary phase at more than one point (so-called multipoint attachment). 

Silica gels with mean pore diameters of 5-15 nm and surface areas of 150-600 m /g have been preferred for the separation of low molecular weight samples, while silica gels with pore diameters greater than 30 nm are preferred for the separation, of biopolymers to avoid restricting the accessibility of the solutes to the stationary phase [15,16,29,34]. Ideally, the pore size distribution should be narrow and symmetrical about the mean value. Micropores are particularly undesirable as they may give rise to size-exclusion effects or irreversible adsorption due to... 

To maximise separation efficiency requires low H and high N values. In general terms this requires that the process of repeated partitioning and equilibration of the migrating solute is accomplished rapidly. The mobile and stationary phases must be mutually well-dispersed. This is achieved by packing the column with fine, porous particles providing a large surface area between the phases (0.5-4 m2/g in GC, 200-800 m2/g in LC). Liquid stationary phases are either coated as a very thin film (0.05-1 pm) on the surface of a porous solid support (GC) or chemically bonded to the support surface as a mono-molecular layer (LC). 

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography shape-recognition processes are distinctly limited to describe the enhanced separation of geometric isomers or structurally related compounds that result primarily from the differences between molecular shapes rather than from additional interactions within the stationary-phase and/or silica support. For example, residual silanol activity of the base silica on nonend-capped polymeric Cis phases was found to enhance the separation of the polar carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin [29]. In contrast, the separations of both the nonpolar carotenoid probes (a- and P-carotene and lycopene) and the SRM 869 column test mixture on endcapped and nonendcapped polymeric Cig phases exhibited no appreciable difference in retention. The nonpolar probes are subject to shape-selective interactions with the alkyl component of the stationary-phase (irrespective of endcapping), whereas the polar carotenoids containing hydroxyl moieties are subject to an additional level of retentive interactions via H-bonding with the surface silanols. Therefore, a direct comparison between the retention behavior of nonpolar and polar carotenoid solutes of similar shape and size that vary by the addition of polar substituents (e.g., dl-trans P-carotene vs. dll-trans P-cryptoxanthin) may not always be appropriate in the context of shape selectivity. 

A complete review of spectroscopic methods applied to the analysis of alkyl-modified surfaces with a comprehensive list of spectroscopic indicators of alkyl chain conformational order is provided elsewhere [9] this review will focus on the application of spectroscopic and other relevant experimental techniques for the characterization of shape-selective chromatographic materials. On the whole, it has been observed experimentally that any increase in alkyl stationary-phase conformational order promotes an increase in selectivity for shape-constrained solutes in RPLC separations [9], As a complement to the wealth of spectroscopic and chromatographic data, the use of molecular simulation techniques to visualize and characterize alkyl-modified surfaces may also provide new insights into molecular-level features that control shape selectivity. A review of progress in the field of chromatographic material simulations will also be discussed. 

FIGURE 5.26 (See color insert following page 280.) A representation of the slot model illustrating potential constrained-shape solute (BaP) interactions with the conformational ordered cavities of a polymeric Cjg stationary-phase simulation model. Also included on the chromatographic surface is an identical-scale molecular structure of 1,2 3,4 5,6 7,8-tetrabenzonaphthalene (TBN). 

A discussion on the theories of retention mechanisms and the type of forces generating retention and selectivity is not intended in this chapter. The interactions between solute, eluent components, and stationary phases with inhomogeneous surfaces are based on molecular recognition, where our understanding is still very limited. Therefore, an empirical description of retention and selectivity is preferred. 

---