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Automated screening of reversed‐phase stationary phases for small‐molecule separations using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry
Author(s) -
Appulage Dananjaya K.,
Wang Evelyn H.,
Carroll Frances,
Schug Kevin A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of separation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.72
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1615-9314
pISSN - 1615-9306
DOI - 10.1002/jssc.201600131
Subject(s) - chemistry , chromatography , selectivity , mass spectrometry , analyte , acetonitrile , reversed phase chromatography , elution , alkyl , phase (matter) , high performance liquid chromatography , analytical chemistry (journal) , organic chemistry , catalysis
There are various reversed‐phase stationary phases that offer significant differences in selectivity and retention. To investigate different reversed‐phase stationary phases (aqueous stable C 18 , biphenyl, pentafluorophenyl propyl, and polar‐embedded alkyl) in an automated fashion, commercial software and associated hardware for mobile phase and column selection were used in conjunction with liquid chromatography and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer detector. A model analyte mixture was prepared using a combination of standards from varying classes of analytes (including drugs, drugs of abuse, amino acids, nicotine, and nicotine‐like compounds). Chromatographic results revealed diverse variations in selectivity and peak shape. Differences in the elution order of analytes on the polar‐embedded alkyl phase for several analytes showed distinct selectivity differences compared to the aqueous C 18 phase. The electron‐rich pentafluorophenyl propyl phase showed unique selectivity toward protonated amines. The biphenyl phase provided further changes in selectivity relative to C 18 with a methanolic phase, but it behaved very similarly to a C 18 when an acetonitrile‐based mobile phase was evaluated. This study shows the value of rapid column screening as an alternative to excessive mobile phase variation to obtain suitable chromatographic settings for analyte separation.