Reversed-phase chromatography mechanism

Compared with liquid column chromatography, in PLC there is a certain limitation with respect to the composition of the mobile phase in the case of reversed-phase chromatography. In planar chromatography the flow of the mobile phase is normally induced by capillary forces. A prerequisite for this mechanism is that the surface of the stationary phase be wetted by the mobile phase. This, however, results in a Umitation in the maximum possible amount of water applicable in the mobile phase, is dependent on the hydrophobic character of the stationary RP phase. To... 

The mechanism of reversed phase chromatography can be understood by contrast with normal phase chromatography. Normal phase liquid chromatography (NPLC) is usually performed on a polar silica stationary phase with a nonpolar mobile phase, while reversed phase chromatography is performed on a nonpolar stationary phase with a polar mobile phase. In RPLC, solute retention is mainly due to hydrophobic interactions between the solutes and the nonpolar hydrocarbon stationary surface. The nonpolar... 

The TLC process is an off-line process. A number of samples are chromatographed simultaneously, side-by-side. HPTLC is fast (5 min), allows simultaneous separation and can be carried out with the same carrier materials as HPLC. Silica gel and chemically bonded silica gel sorbents are used predominantly in HPTLC other stationary phases are cellulose-based [393]. Separation mechanisms are either NPC (normal-phase chromatography), RPC (reversed-phase chromatography) or IEC (ion-exchange chromatography). RPC on hydrophobic layers is not as widely used in TLC as it is in column chromatography. The resolution capabilities of TLC using silica gel absorbent as compared to C S reversed-phase absorbent have been compared for 18 commercially available plasticisers, and 52 amine and 36 phenolic AOs [394]. 

S. Ahuja, Retention Mechanism Investigations on Ion-pair Reversed Phase Chromatography, American Chemical Society meeting, Miami, April 28, 1985. 

Replacement of the hydrophilic acrylamide by the more hydrophobic N-iso-propylacrylamide, in combination with the pre-functionalization of the capillary with (3-methacryloyloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane, afforded a monolithic gel covalently attached to the capillary wall. A substantial improvement in the separations of aromatic ketones and steroids was observed using these fritless hydrogel columns, as seen by the column efficiencies of 160,000 found for hydrocortisone and testosterone [92]. The separations exhibited many of the attributes typical of reversed-phase chromatography and led to the conclusion that, in contrast to the original polyacrylamide-based gels, size-exclusion mechanism was no longer the primary mechanism of separation. 

The mechanism of reversed-phase chromatography arises from the tendency of water molecules in the aqueous-organic mobile phase to self-associate by hydrogen bonding. This ordering is perturbed by the presence of nonpolar solute molecules. As a result, solute molecules tend to be excluded from the mobile phase and are bound by the hydrophobic stationary phase. This solvophobic... 

Sentell, K.B. and Dorsey, J.G, Retention mechanisms in reversed-phase chromatography. Stationary-phase bonding density and solute selectivity, J. Chromatogr., 461, 193, 1989. 

The elucidation of the retention mechanism in ion-pair reversed-phase chromatography using alkyl amines or alkyl sulfonates as hetaerons has evoked significant interest not only for the great potential of the method in the separation of ionic compounds but also for theoretical reasons. 

One weakness of the dominant reverse phase separations mechanism has been the poor retention of highly polar analytes, and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has emerged as an alternative. In HILIC, a polar stationary phase such as silica gel is used to retain highly polar analytes. Mobile phases components similar to those described above for reverse phase separations are used, but the proportions of aqueous vs. organic are changed. Analytes are retained under conditions of relatively low water content, and eluted using increased water content. 

Ion suppression is a technique used to suppress the ionisation of compounds (such as carboxylic acids) so they will be retained exclusively by the reversed phase retention mechanism and chromatographed as the neutral species. Column packings with an extended pH range are needed for this application as strong acids or alkalis are used to suppress ionisation. In addition to carboxylic acids, the ionisation of amines can be suppressed by the addition of a base to the mobile phase, thus allowing chromatography of the neutral amine. 

Although the detailed retention mechanisms are as yet unclear (see for example 7.8). there is a building consensus that reversed phase chromatography is dominated by the hydrophobic effect. Retention is therefore primarily a function of solution phenomena in the mobile phase, and it is not surprising that RPLC has many ways to modify selectivity by manipulating the chemical nature of the mobile phase. 

The growing popularity of reversed phase chromatography in particular has prompted polymer manufacturers to investigate the use of polymeric media for this mode of operation. Macroporous copolymers of styrene and divinylbenzene have similar properties to silica based stationary phases bonded with alkyl chains. However, the absence of leachables and stability at high pH can offer advantages under certain circumstances. High quality, mechanically stable macroporous polymeries are now manufactured at much larger scales than the... 

In spite of widespread applications, the exact mechanism of retention in reversed-phase chromatography is still controversial. Various theoretical models of retention for RPC were suggested, such as the model using the Hildebrand solubility parameter theory [32,51-53], or the model supported by the concept of molecular connectivity [54], models based on the solvophobic theory [55,56) or on the molecular statistical theory [57j. Unfortunately, sophisticated models introduce a number of physicochemical constants, which are often not known or are difficult and time-consuming to determine, so that such models are not very suitable for rapid prediction of retention data. 

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