Heterogeneity of the surface energy on unused C18-chromolith adsorbents in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Single-component adsorption isotherm data were acquired by frontal analysis (FA) for phenol and caffeine on a new C18-Chromolith column (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany), using a water-rich mobile phase (methanol/water, 15/85, v/v). These data were modeled for best agreement between the experimental data points and the adsorption isotherm model. The adsorption-energy distributions, based on the expectation-maximization (EM) procedure, were also derived and used for the selection of the best isotherm model. The adsorption energy distributions (AEDs) for phenol and caffeine converged toward a trimodal and a quadrimodal distribution, respectively. Energy distributions with more than two modes had not been reported before for the adsorption of these compounds on packed columns. The third high energy mode observed for both phenol and caffeine seems to be specific of the surface of the monolithic column while the first and second low energy modes have the same physical origin as the two modes detected on packed columns. These results suggest significant differences between the structures of the porous silica in these different materials.