Ion chromatography on reversed-phase materials coated with mixed cationic and nonionic surfactants

Columns suitable for use in anion chromatography can be prepared by coating a packed reversed-phase HPLC column (C18 silica or polystyrene particles) with a cationic surfactant. The efficiency is improved dramatically by first coating the column with a nonionic surfactant and then subsequently with the cationic surfactant. The thickness of the first coated layer as well as the chemical structure of the surfactant have a major effect on the column performance. Actual separations are included to demonstrate the convenience and practical use of the coated columns. Using this approach, columns with 12,900 theoretical plates for the 15-cm column (or 86,000 plates/m) were produced, giving well shaped peaks with an average asymmetry factor of 1.09. The coated layers were found to be stable, giving retention times with an average relative standard deviation of 1.6% for 12 consecutive runs.