Selectivity Tuning of Serially Coupled (S,S)Whelk-O 1 and (R,R)Whelk-O 1 Columns in HPLC

Selectivity optimization in liquid chromatography via stationary phase tuning

In striving for the best possible separation, the selectivity of stationary phases as an optimization parameter is often underestimated although there are many ways to influence this powerful tool. This review serves to provide an insight into the various ways of adapting the selectivity of a separation in liquid chromatography. Approaches via temperature and flow rate tuning are discussed as a basis followed by focusing on the stationary phase as the superior optimization parameter. Highly selective stationary phases hereby provide an advantage for groups of similar analytes. For more complex mixtures, separations can be improved using mixed-mode technologies where different retention mechanisms are combined. Serial coupling, mixed-bed columns, and stationary phase optimized selectivity liquid chromatography provide solutions to various degrees. Finally, the advantages of stationary phase tuning over adaption of mobile phase and/or temperature are presented in terms of optimum application range.

Serially coupled column liquid chromatography: An alternative separation tool

Despite the rapid development of liquid chromatography (LC) in recent decades, it remains a challenge to achieve the desired chromatographic separation of complex matrices using a single column. Multi-column LC techniques, particularly serially coupled column LC (SCC-LC), have emerged as a promising solution to overcome this challenge. While more attention has been focused on heart-cutting or comprehensive two-dimensional LC, reviews specifically focusing on SCC-LC, which offers advantages in terms of precision and facile instrumentation, are scarce. Here, our concerns are devoted to the progress summary regarding the instrumentation and applications of SCC-LC. Emphasis is placed on column selection aiming to enlarge peak capacity, selectivity, or both through the optimization of combination types (e.g. RPLC-RPLC, -RPLC-HILIC, and achiral-chiral LC), connection devices (e.g. zero dead volume connector, tubing, and T-type connector), elution program (i.e. isocratic or gradient) and detectors (e.g. mass spectrometer, ultraviolet detector, and fluorescence detector). The application of SCC-LC in pharmaceutical, biological, environmental, and food fields is also reviewed, and future perspectives and potential directions for SCC-LC are discussed. We envision that the review can give meaningful information to analytical scientists when facing heavy chromatographic separation tasks for complicated matrices.

In Silico Method Development of Achiral and Chiral Tandem Column Reversed-phase Liquid Chromatography for Multicomponent Pharmaceutical Mixtures

Tandem column liquid chromatography (LC) is a convenient, cost-effective approach to resolve multicomponent mixtures by serially coupling columns on readily available one-dimensional separation systems without specialized user training. Yet, adoption of this technique remains limited, mainly due to the difficulty in identifying optimal selectivity out of many possible tandem column combinations. At this point, method development and optimization require laborious "hit-or-miss" experimentation and "blind" screening when investigating different column selectivity without standard analytes. As a result, many chromatography practitioners end up combining two columns of similar selectivity, limiting the scope and potential of tandem column LC as a mainstay for industrial applications. To circumvent this challenge, we herein introduce a straightforward in silico multifactorial approach as a framework to expediently map the separation landscape across multiple tandem columns (achiral and chiral) and eluent combinations (isocratic and gradient elution) under reversed-phase LC conditions. Retention models were built using commercially available LC simulator software showcasing less than 2% difference between experimental and simulated retention times for analytes of interest in multicomponent pharmaceutical mixtures (e.g., metabolites and cyclic peptides).

Chiral stationary phase optimized selectivity liquid chromatography: A strategy for the separation of chiral isomers

Chiral Stationary-Phase Optimized Selectivity Liquid Chromatography (SOSLC) is proposed as a tool to optimally separate mixtures of enantiomers on a set of commercially available coupled chiral columns. This approach allows for the prediction of the separation profiles on any possible combination of the chiral stationary phases based on a limited number of preliminary analyses, followed by automated selection of the optimal column combination. Both the isocratic and gradient SOSLC approach were implemented for prediction of the retention times for a mixture of 4 chiral pairs on all possible combinations of the 5 commercial chiral columns. Predictions in isocratic and gradient mode were performed with a commercially available and with an in-house developed Microsoft visual basic algorithm, respectively. Optimal predictions in the isocratic mode required the coupling of 4 columns whereby relative deviations between the predicted and experimental retention times ranged between 2 and 7%. Gradient predictions led to the coupling of 3 chiral columns allowing baseline separation of all solutes, whereby differences between predictions and experiments ranged between 0 and 12%. The methodology is a novel tool allowing optimizing the separation of mixtures of optical isomers.

Stationary phase optimized selectivity liquid chromatography: Basic possibilities of serially connected columns using the “PRISMA” principle

A new procedure (stationary phase optimized selectivity liquid chromatography: SOS-LC) is described for the optimization of the HPLC stationary phase, using serially connected columns and the principle of the "PRISMA" model. The retention factors (k) of the analytes were determined on three different stationary phases. By use of these data the k values were predicted applying theoretically combined stationary phases. These predictions resulted in numerous intermediate theoretical separations from among which only the optimal one was assembled and tested. The overall selectivity of this separation was better than that of any individual base stationary phase. SOS-LC is independent of the mechanism and the scale of separation.