Polymer HPLC column packings

In the course of development of polymer HPLC, column packing matrices with various chemical compositions were tested. The following hst presents only the most important column packings, which have found wide practical application. Often, the column producers keep secret the actual chemical stmcture of their column packings. The composition of most often applied packings is presented in italics. 

Plasma ultrafiltrates were diltued 1 50 and analyzed by RP-HPLC (column packed with PLRP-S, Polymer Laboratories) with solvent gradient elution (acetonitrile-water from 15 85 to 90 10, 30 min), coupled to ICP-MS through a novel interface, allowing efficient elimination of acetonitrile... 

Table 4-1 Capacity factors (fc) of nucleotide analogs on HPLC columns packed with 9-ethyladenine-imprinted polymer of methacrylic acid and benzoic acid-imprinted polymer [1 ]a...

Yanagihara, Y, K. Yasukawa, U. Tamura, T. Uchida, and K. Noguchi. 1987. Characteristics of a new HPLC column packed with octadecyl-bonded polymer gel. Chromatograpia 24 (1) 701-704. 

The hydrophilic surface characteristics and the chemical nature of the polymer backbone in Toyopearl HW resins are the same as for packings in TSK-GEL PW HPLC columns. Consequently, Toyopearl HW packings are ideal scaleup resins for analytical separation methods developed with TSK-GEL HPLC columns. Eigure 4.44 shows a protein mixture first analyzed on TSK-GEL G3000 SWxl and TSK-GEL G3000 PWxl columns, then purified with the same mobile-phase conditions in a preparative Toyopearl HW-55 column. The elution profile and resolution remained similar from the analytical separation on the TSK-GEL G3000 PWxl column to the process-scale Toyopearl column. Scaleup from TSK-GEL PW columns can be direct and more predictable with Toyopearl HW resins. 

FIG U RE 1.13 Gradient separation of polypeptides on silica rod column and particle-packed columns. Mobile phase velocity 4mm/s, gradient 5%-60% ACN in the presence of TFA, gradient time 5min, columns (a) silica rod column, (b) Capcellpak SG (5 pm), (c) LiChrospher WP 300 RP-18e (5 pm), (d) nonporous NPS-ODS-1 HPLC column (1.5pm) (e) polymer-based TSKgel Octadecyl-NPR (2.5pm). (Reprinted from Minakuchi, H. et al., J. Chromatogr. A, 828, 83, 1998. Copyright 1998, with permission from Elsevier.)... 

In conclusion, two different parameters of mobile phase are to be distinguished in polymer HPLC namely its strength toward column packing and its quality toward column packing and especially toward separated macromolecules. 

FIGURE 16.3 Dependences of the polymer retention volume on the logarithm of its molar mass M or hydrodynamic volume log M [T ] (Section 16.2.2). (a) Idealized dependence with a long linear part in absence of enthalpic interactions. Vq is the interstitial volume in the column packed with porous particles, is the total volume of liquid in the column and is the excluded molar mass, (b) log M vs. dependences for the polymer HPLC systems, in which the enthalpic interaction between macromolecules and column packing exceed entropic (exclusion) effects (1-3). Fully retained polymer molar masses are marked with an empty circle. For comparison, the ideal SEC dependence (Figure 16.3a) is shown (4). (c) log M vs. dependences for the polymer HPLC systems, in which the enthalpic interactions are present but the exclusion effects dominate (1), or in which the full (2) or partial (3,4) compensation of enthalpy and entropy appears. For comparison, the ideal SEC dependence (Figure 16.3a) is shown (5). (d) log M vs. dependences for the polymer HPLC systems, in which the enthalpic interactions affect the exclusion based courses. This leads to the enthalpy assisted SEC behavior especially in the vicinity of For comparison, the ideal SEC dependence (Eigure 16.3a) is shown (4). 

It can be concluded that adsorption is an important tool for controlling retention volumes of samples in polymer HPLC. Eluent composition and temperature are the most feasible variables to affect adsorption in the given polymer-column packing systems. The thermodynamic quality of eluent plays less important role. 

Phase separation (precipitation) of a polymer strongly depends on all its molecular characteristics. On the one hand, this allows very efficient separations in polymer HPLC utilizing phase separation and re-dissolution processes [20]. On the other hand, due to complexity of phase separation phenomena, the resulting retention volumes of complex polymers may simultaneously depend on several molecular characteristics of separated macromolecules. This may complicate interpretation of the separation results. Both precipitation and redissolution of most polymers is a slow process. It may be affected by the presence of otherwise inactive surface of the column packing. Therefore, the applicability and quantitative control of the phase separation phenomena may be limited to some specific systems of polymer HPLC. 

Similar to other coupled methods of polymer HPLC, for example, LC CC (Section 16.5.2), the choice of the column packing and the mobile phase components for EG-LC depends on the retention mechanism to be used. Adsorption is preferred for polar polymers applying polar column packings, usually bare silica or silica bonded with the polar groups. The eluent strength controls polymer retention (Sections 16.3.2 and 16.3.5). The enthalpic partition is the retention mechanism of choice for the non polar polymers or polymers of low polarity. In this case, similar to the phase separation mechanism, mainly the solvent quality governs the extent of retention (Sections 16.2.2, 16.3.3, and 16.3.7). It is to be reminded that even the nonpolar polymers such as poly(butadiene) may adsorb on the surface of bare silica gel from the very weak mobile phases and vice versa, the polymers of medium polarity such as poly(methyl methacrylate) can be retained from their poor solvents (eluents) due to enthalpic partition within the nonpolar alkyl-bonded phases. 

FIGURE 16.11 Schematic representation of eluent gradient polymer HPLC. Two polymer species A and B are separated. They exhibit different nature and different interactivity with the column packing (e.g., adsorp-tivity) or with the mobile phase (solubility). The linear gradient from the retention promoting mobile phase to the elution promoting mobile phase is applied. The focused peaks—one for each polymer composition/ architecture—are formed in the appropriately chosen systems. Each peak contains species with different molar masses. 

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