The LC Handbook Guide to LC Columns and Method Development Contents
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Method Development © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2016 Published in USA, February 1, 2016 Publication Number 5990-7595EN The LC Handbook Guide to LC Columns and Method Development Contents Introduction 4 Selecting your HPLC column 27 HPLC mode 28 Essential chromatography Column selection basics: conventional columns 29 concepts 5 • High Performance Liquid Efficiency (N) 6 Chromatography (HPLC) columns 30 Retention Factor (k) 7 • UHPLC columns 31 Selectivity or separation factor (α) 7 • Superficially porous particle columns 31 • Columns for LC/MS 32 Resolution (Rs) 8 Pressure 9 • Columns for Gel Permeation van Deemter Curves 10 Chromatography (GPC), Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC), and Gel The gradient equation 10 Filtration Chromatography (GFC) 33 LC Instrumentation Fundamentals 12 • Columns for biocharacterization 33 Column characteristics 34 The pump – the heart of an LC system 13 • Silica 34 • Pressure range 13 • Bonded phases 34 • Power ranges of Agilent 1200 Infinity Series pumps 14 • Polymers 34 • Solvent mixing 15 • Pore size 35 • Delay volume 17 • Particle size 35 • Extra column volume 17 • Column dimensions 36 The autosampler – the brain behind Cartridge column systems 37 workflow automation logistics 18 • Fixed-loop and flow-through autosamplers 18 Keys to performance: column • Injection precision and accuracy 20 configurations and settings 40 • Flexibility and sample capacity 20 The importance of reducing extra-column • Injection cycle time 20 volume 41 • Carryover 21 Preparing the perfect fitting connection 42 • Novel sampling approaches and Fitting connection requirements 42 automation 22 Nonadjustable metallic fittings 42 The column thermostat – the muscles to Adjustable finger-tight fittings 44 generate heat 22 Agilent A-Line fittings 44 Detector - the organ of perception 23 Robustness over 200 reconnections 46 Detector sensitivity 25 Compatibility with different column brands 46 • Linear range 25 Sample injections 46 • Data rate 26 Setting the data collection rate 47 2 Dwell volume and its impact on chromatography 48 • Troubleshooting example: drifting baseline 75 • Measuring your system’s dwell volume 50 • Troubleshooting example: broadening • Evaluating the impact of dwell volume 52 or splitting caused by high pH 77 • Dwell volume and analysis time 53 • Troubleshooting example: mobile phase modifiers and selectivity 77 Chelating compounds 53 Optimizing your chromatographic conditions pH and mobile phase modifiers 54 for reversed-phase chromatography 79 Working with gradients 55 • Isocratic optimization 80 Optimizing column re-equilibration 56 • Gradient optimization 83 Column aging 58 Polymeric columns for reversed-phase • Loss of bonded phase 58 chromatography 85 Cleaning a reversed-phase silica column 58 A step-by-step guide for 'hands-on' isocratic Cleaning a normal phase silica column 59 method development in reversed-phase Cleaning a reversed-phase polymeric column 59 chromatography 86 Tips for transferring methods from Method development 61 conventional columns to high efficiency columns 88 Method development: where to start 62 Automated method development tools 90 • Mode Selection 62 Method development for other HPLC modes 92 • Choosing the column and packing • HILIC 92 dimensions 65 • Normal phase chromatography 94 • Choosing the stationary phase 66 • Ion-exchange chromatography 96 Method development for reversed-phase • Gel permeation chromatography/size chromatography 66 exclusion chromatography 97 Selection of stationary phase for reversed- LC/MS Instrumentation phase chromatography 66 Fundamentals 98 Selection of mobile phase solvents for What is LC/MS 98 reversed-phase chromatography 69 What information does LC/MS provide 99 • Working with mobile phases 69 Types of LC/MS instruments 100 • Troubleshooting mobile phases and mobile phase modifiers 69 • Single-quadrupole instruments 100 • Mixing mobile phases 70 • Triple-quadrupole instruments 100 • Degassing mobile phases 70 • Time-of-flight and quadrupole time- of-flight instruments 100 Managing your pH with mobile phase modifiers 70 Uniform field ion mobility 101 • Common buffers for UV detectors 72 MS/MS – breaking down a compound for • Considerations for LC/MS 73 extra specificity 101 • Troubleshooting issues with mobile phase modifiers 75 Continued on next page 3 Ionization of compounds 102 Column care and storage 117 • Electrospray ionization 102 • Maximizing column lifetime 117 • Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization 102 • Care in storage 119 • Atmospheric pressure photo ionization 102 • Unblocking a column 119 Quickly determining when a column is going Tips for developing methods with LC/MS 103 bad 119 • Solvent selection for ESI-MS 103 Ensuring method reproducibility around the world 120 • Solvent selection for APCI-MS and APPI-MS 104 • Increasing method robustness 120 • Solvent selection for ion pair • A reminder about dwell volume chromatography with MS 104 implications 121 Sample preparation 105 Quick troubleshooting reference 122 • Matrix components 105 Tips for effective troubleshooting 122 • Concentration issuess 105 Ion suppression considerations 105 Useful references 128 Considerations for using LC/MS with high- USP designations 128 efficiency columns 106 Solvent miscibility 134 • Improvements in sensitivity 106 UV cutoffs for mobile phase modifiers 137 • MS scan rates 107 Solid Phase Extraction sorbents 138 • System Dispersion 107 SPE sorbent conditions 139 LC/MS software 108 Other suggested reading 140 • Types of scans – comparing TIC, EIC Other Agilent resources 140 and SIM 108 • Personal compound databases and Glossary 141 libraries 109 Protecting your Index 169 chromatographic results 111 Agilent Products and Scalability 112 ordering information 174 The importance of using high-quality-grade solvents 115 Special considerations for UHPLC 115 Inline filters 116 • Low-volume inline filters 116 Guard columns 117 Solvent-saturation columns 117 Column inlet frits 117 4 Introduction Where to begin? Liquid chromatography is a vast and complex subject, but one for which we never lose our interest. Chromatographers around the world are using HPLC techniques to ensure the safety of our food and water, develop life-saving pharmaceutical products, protect our environment, guard public health, and that’s just the start of it. The more you know about chromatography, the more you can get done with this amazing technology. Today, you have more choices of columns and packing materials to suit an ever expanding range of uses. Agilent now offers more than 2,000 column choices covering the broadest array of applications and conditions. This increases your opportunities to select the most appropriate column for your needs. As part of our commitment to helping you get the best results from your liquid chromatography, we have compiled this handy guide to choosing LC columns, with plenty of tips and tricks to make your job easier and more productive. In addition, we’ve drawn on more than 40 years of experience to provide suggestions for overcoming some of the common problems that can occur with columns and fittings in everyday use. The guide covers the main columns used in LC, with particular emphasis on reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. How to use this guide: • Sections are color-coded for your easy reference. • The glossary in the back is fairly comprehensive. It’s intended to be a good resource, although we have not touched on every glossary term in the rest of the book, due to space considerations. • This book primarily focuses on reversed-phase HPLC although we highlight other techniques elsewhere in the book. 5 Essential chromatography concepts We all remember the feeling we had in school as we learned math, wondering how it would actually come into practical use. Scientists have to learn more math than many professionals, and this section reminds us why. Here, we will briefly review the equations and theory behind many of the concepts that drive chromatography. Understanding these concepts will help you to get the best results, and to troubleshoot if you encounter problems. We start with