Reversed phase liquid chromatography with UV absorbance and flame ionization detection using a water mobile phase and a cyano propyl stationary phase: Analysis of alcohols and chlorinated hydrocarbons

• Published in: Talanta (Oxford) 1999-10, Vol.50 (3), p.569-576
• Main Authors: Quigley, Wes W.C, Ecker, Scott T, Vahey, Paul G, Synovec, Robert E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Chemistry; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; Cyano propyl stationary phase; Exact sciences and technology; Liquid chromatography; Other chromatographic methods; Phenol; Water mobile phase
• ISSN: 0039-9140; 1873-3573
• DOI: 10.1016/S0039-9140(99)00149-6

The development of liquid chromatography with a commercially available cyano propyl stationary phase and a 100% water mobile phase is reported. Separations were performed at ambient temperature, simplifying instrumental requirements. Excellent separation efficiency using a water mobile phase was achieved, for example N=18 800, or 75 200 m −1, was obtained for resorcinol, at a retention factor of k′=4.88 (retention time of 9.55 min at 1 ml min −1 for a 25 cm×4.6 mm i.d. column, packed with 5 μm diameter particles with the cyano propyl stationary phase). A separation via reversed phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) with a 100% water mobile phase of six phenols and related compounds was compared to a separation of the same compounds by traditional RP-LC, using octadecylsilane (ODS), i.e. C18, bound to silica and an aqueous mobile phase modified with acetonitrile. Nearly identical analysis time was achieved for the separation of six phenols and related compounds using the cyano propyl stationary phase with a 100% water mobile phase, as compared to traditional RP-LC requiring a relatively large fraction of organic solvent modifier in the mobile phase (25% acetonitrile:75% water). Additional understanding of the retention mechanism with the 100% water mobile phase was obtained by relating measured retention factors of aliphatic alcohols, phenols and related compounds, and chlorinated hydrocarbons to their octanol:water partition coefficients. The retention mechanism is found to be consistent with a RP-LC mechanism coupled with an additional retention effect due to residual hydroxyl groups on the cyano propyl stationary phase. Advantages due to a 100% water mobile phase for the chemical analysis of alcohol mixtures and chlorinated hydrocarbons are reported. By placing an absorbance detector in-series and preceding a novel drop interface to a flame ionization detector (FID), selective detection of a separated mixture of phenols and related compounds and aliphatic alcohols is achieved. The compound class of aliphatic alcohols is selectively and sensitively detected by the drop interface/FID, and the phenols and related compounds are selectively and sensitively detected by absorbance detection at 200 nm. The separation and detection of chlorinated hydrocarbons in a water sample matrix further illustrated the advantages of this methodology. The sensitivity and selectivity of the FID signal for the chlorinated hydrocarbons are significantly better than absorbance dete