Reverse phase method development polarity

The selection and development of a reversed-phase method can be a straightforward process, and for this reason, many methods have been developed on reversed-phase SPE, especially the C-18 sorbent due to its reliable nature. The following examples describe the reversed-phase extraction of compounds of differing polarities from various matrices, as an indication of the broad extent to which reversed-phase SPE can be applied. 

An on-line concentration, isolation, and Hquid chromatographic separation method for the analysis of trace organics in natural waters has been described (63). Concentration and isolation are accompHshed with two precolumns connected in series the first acts as a filter for removal of interferences the second actually concentrates target solutes. The technique is appHcable even if no selective sorbent is available for the specific analyte of interest. Detection limits of less than 0.1 ppb were achieved for polar herbicides (qv) in the chlorotriazine and phenylurea classes. A novel method for deterrnination of tetracyclines in animal tissues and fluids was developed with sample extraction and cleanup based on tendency of tetracyclines to chelate with divalent metal ions (64). The metal chelate affinity precolumn was connected on-line to reversed-phase hplc column, and detection limits for several different tetracyclines in a variety of matrices were in the 10—50 ppb range. 

In the new polar organic mode, the ratio of acid/base in the mobile phase affects the selectivity and the concentration of acid and base controls the retention. It is suggested to start the method development with a medium concentration (0.1 %) for both acid and base. If retention is too long or too short, the concentration can be increased to 1 % or reduced to 0.01 %. If no selectivity is observed in this mode, reversed phase is recommended as the next step in the protocols. 

When analytes lack the selectivity in the new polar organic mode or reversed-phase mode, typical normal phase (hexane with ethanol or isopropanol) can also be tested. Normally, 20 % ethanol will give a reasonable retention time for most analytes on vancomycin and teicoplanin, while 40 % ethanol is more appropriate for ristocetin A CSP. The hexane/alcohol composition is favored on many occasions (preparative scale, for example) and offers better selectivity for some less polar compounds. Those compounds with a carbonyl group in the a or (3 position to the chiral center have an excellent chance to be resolved in this mode. The simplified method development protocols are illustrated in Fig. 2-6. The optimization will be discussed in detail later in this chapter. 

Comparisons of LC and SFC have also been performed on naphthylethylcar-bamoylated-(3-cyclodextrin CSPs. These multimodal CSPs can be used in conjunction with normal phase, reversed phase, and polar organic eluents. Discrete sets of chiral compounds tend to be resolved in each of the three mobile phase modes in LC. As demonstrated by Williams et al., separations obtained in each of the different mobile phase modes in LC could be replicated with a simple CO,-methanol eluent in SFC [54]. Separation of tropicamide enantiomers on a Cyclobond I SN CSP with a modified CO, eluent is illustrated in Fig. 12-4. An aqueous-organic mobile phase was required for enantioresolution of the same compound on the Cyclobond I SN CSP in LC. In this case, SFC offered a means of simplifying method development for the derivatized cyclodextrin CSPs. Higher resolution was also achieved in SFC. 

Normal-phase liquid chromatography is thus a steric-selective separation method. The molecular properties of steric isomers are not easily obtained and the molecular properties of optical isomers estimated by computational chemical calculation are the same. Therefore, the development of prediction methods for retention times in normal-phase liquid chromatography is difficult compared with reversed-phase liquid chromatography, where the hydrophobicity of the molecule is the predominant determinant of retention differences. When the molecular structure is known, the separation conditions in normal-phase LC can be estimated from Table 1.1, and from the solvent selectivity. A small-scale thin-layer liquid chromatographic separation is often a good tool to find a suitable eluent. When a silica gel column is used, the formation of a monolayer of water on the surface of the silica gel is an important technique. A water-saturated very non-polar solvent should be used as the base solvent, such as water-saturated w-hexane or isooctane. 

The choice of the proper stationary and mobile phases for the foregoing purpose would depend on several factors, such as the nature (polarity, stability in mobile phase) of the NOC analyzed and the availability/compatibility of the detector used. For example, if only a TEA is available as a detector, the use of an ion-exchange or a reversed-phase system is ruled out, because both require aqueous mobile phase for proper operation. Moisture in the mobile phase causes freeze-up of the cold traps in the TEA and also results in noisy response due to interference during chemiluminescence detection. Similarly, if one is using, as the detector the newly developed Hi-catalyzed denitrosation-TEA (62) or the photolytic cleavage-TEA (58), a reversed-phase system using aqueous mobile phase would be the method of choice. These detectors, however, have not been demonstrated to work in the normal-phase system. The use of an electrochemical detector will also be incompatible with an organic solvent as the mobile phase. 

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