Consequences of Cylindrical Pore Geometry for Interfacial Phenomena in Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography

Organic-solvent ditch overlap in reversed-phase liquid chromatography: A molecular dynamics simulation study in cylindrical 6-12 nm-diameter pores

Mass transport through the mesopore space of a reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) column depends on the properties of the chromatographic interface, particularly on the extent of the organic-solvent ditch that favors the analyte surface diffusivity. Through molecular dynamics simulations in cylindrical RPLC mesopore models with pore diameters between 6 and 12 nm we systematically trace the evolution of organic-solvent ditch overlap due to spatial confinement in the mesopore space of RPLC columns for small-molecule separations. Each pore model of a silica-based, endcapped, C18-stationary phase is equilibrated with two mobile phases of comparable elution strength, namely 70/30 (v/v) water/acetonitrile and 60/40 (v/v) water/methanol, to consider the influence of the mobile-phase composition on the onset of organic-solvent ditch overlap. The simulations show that, as the pore diameter decreases from 9 to 6 nm, the bonded-phase density extends and compacts towards the pore center, which leads to increased accumulation of organic-solvent excess and thus enhanced organic-solvent diffusivity in the ditch. Because the acetonitrile ditch is more pronounced than the methanol ditch, acetonitrile ditch overlap sets in at less severe spatial confinement than methanol ditch overlap. The pore-averaged methanol and acetonitrile diffusivities are considerably raised by ditch overlap in the 6 nm-diameter pore, but also benefit from the ditch (without overlap) in the 7 to 12 nm-diameter pores, whereby local and pore-averaged effects are generally larger for acetonitrile than methanol.

The Solvation Shell of Small Solutes in Aqueous-Organic Solvent Mixtures and Its Implications for Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) operates with water-organic solvent (W-OS) mobile phases where preferential solvation (PS) of solutes is likely. To investigate the relevance of the solute solvation shell in the mobile phase for RPLC retention, we combine data from molecular dynamics simulations of small, neutral solutes (six analytes and two dead time markers) in W-methanol (MeOH) and W-acetonitrile (ACN) mixtures with corresponding retention data obtained on an RPLC column over a wide range of W/OS ratios. Data derived from Kirkwood-Buff integrals show PS by the OS for analytes vs low or negative PS for dead time markers. W-ACN mixtures generate a higher amount of PS than W-MeOH mixtures, which contributes to the higher eluent strength of ACN in RPLC. Difference spatial distribution functions reveal anisotropic solvation shells with OS excess at hydrocarbon elements and W excess at functional groups, predicting that retention by the hydrophobic stationary phase is favored by hydrocarbon elements and limited by functional groups. Analysis of solute-solvent hydrogen bonds pinpoints the hydrogen-bond requirements toward W as the retention-limiting factor. The relation between the solute solvation shell and retention confirms the importance of W-OS and solute-W hydrogen bonding for RPLC retention.

Mobile-Phase Contributions to Organic-Solvent Excess Adsorption and Surface Diffusion in Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography

Fast transport of retained analytes in reversed-phase liquid chromatography occurs through surface diffusion in the organic-solvent (OS)-enriched interfacial "ditch" region between the hydrophobic stationary phase and the water (W)-OS mobile phase. Through molecular dynamics simulations that recover the OS excess adsorption isotherms of a typical C₁₈-stationary phase for methanol and acetonitrile, we explore the relation between OS properties, OS excess adsorption, and surface diffusion. The emerging molecular-level picture attributes the mobile-phase contribution to surface diffusion to the hydrogen-bond capability and the eluting power of the OS. The higher affinity of methanol for the formation of W-OS hydrogen bonds at the soft, hydrophobic surface presented by the bonded-phase (C₁₈) chains reduces the OS excess and the related viscosity drop in the ditch. The lower eluting power of methanol, however, translates to increased bonded-phase contacts for analytes, which can increase their mobility gain from surface diffusion above the gain observed with acetonitrile.

Confinement Effects on Distribution and Transport of Neutral Solutes in a Small Hydrophobic Nanopore

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study confinement effects in small cylindrical silica pores with extended hydrophobic surface functionalization as realized, for example, in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) columns. In particular, we use a 6 nm cylindrical and a 10 nm slit pore bearing the same C₁₈ stationary phase to compare the conditions inside the smaller-than-average pores within an RPLC column to column-averaged properties. Two small, neutral, apolar to moderately polar solutes are used to assess the consequences of spatial confinement for typical RPLC analytes with water (W)-acetonitrile (ACN) mobile phases at W/ACN ratios between 70/30 and 10/90 (v/v). The simulated data show that true bulk liquid behavior, as observed over an extended center region in the 10 nm slit pore, is not recovered within the 6 nm cylindrical pore. Instead, the ACN-enriched solvent layer around the C₁₈ chain ends (the ACN ditch), a general feature of hydrophobic interfaces equilibrated with aqueous-organic liquids, extends over the entire pore lumen of the small cylindrical pore. This renders the entire pore a highly hydrophobic environment, where, contrary to column-averaged behavior, neither the local nor the pore-averaged sorption and diffusion of analytes scales directly with the W/ACN ratio of the mobile phase. Additionally, the solute polarity-related discrimination between analytes is enhanced. The consequences of local ACN ditch overlap in RPLC columns are reminiscent of ion transport in porous media with charged surfaces, where electrical double-layer overlap occurring locally in smaller pores leads to discrimination between co- and counterionic species.

An atomistic view on the uptake of aromatic compounds by cyclodextrin immobilized on mesoporous silica

The effect of immobilized $$\upbeta$$ β -cyclodextrin (bCD) molecules inside a mesoporous silica support on the uptake of benzene and p-nitrophenol from aqueous solution was investigated using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The calculated adsorption isotherms are discussed with respect to the free energies of binding for a 1:1 complex of bCD and the aromatic guest molecule. The adsorption capacity of the bCD-containing material significantly exceeds the amount corresponding to a 1:1 binding scenario, in agreement with experimental observations. Beside the formation of 1:2 and, to a lesser extent, 1:3 host:guest complexes, also host–host interactions on the surface as well as more unspecific host–guest interactions govern the adsorption process. The demonstrated feasibility of classical all-atom MD simulations to calculate liquid phase adsorption isotherms paves the way to a molecular interpretation of experimental data that are too complex to be described by empirical models.