Normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separations using ethoxynonafluorobutane as hexane alternative....

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Chromatography
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Traditional normal-phase HPLC often relies on n-hexane, a non-renewable solvent with environmental concerns.
• Developing greener alternatives for chromatographic separations is crucial for sustainable laboratory practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate ethoxynonafluorobutane as an environmentally friendly replacement for n-hexane in normal-phase HPLC.
• To assess the efficacy of ethoxynonafluorobutane in separating various classes of chemical compounds.
• To investigate the solvent's performance in both achiral and chiral chromatographic applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ethoxynonafluorobutane as the mobile phase in normal-phase HPLC on a cyano column.
• Employed fast methanol gradients in ethoxynonafluorobutane for compound separation.
• Introduced small amounts of triethylamine and trifluoroacetic acid to optimize peak shape and column performance.

Main Results:

• Successfully separated steroids, benzodiazepines, NSAIDs, tricyclic antidepressants, beta-adrenergic blocking agents, and purine/pyrimidine mixtures.
• Achieved significant improvements in peak shape and column performance for basic and acidic analytes by adding modifiers.
• Demonstrated unique selectivity for chiral separations when using ethoxynonafluorobutane and methanol mixtures.

Conclusions:

• Ethoxynonafluorobutane is a viable, green alternative to n-hexane for normal-phase HPLC.
• The solvent system facilitates rapid and effective separation of a wide range of pharmaceutical and biological compounds.
• Ethoxynonafluorobutane exhibits promising potential for both standard and chiral chromatographic applications.