Preparation and comparison of three zwitterionic stationary phases for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

Surface-bonded zwitterionic stationary phases have shown highlighted performances in separation of polar and hydrophilic compounds under hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode. So, it would be helpful to evaluate the characteristics of zwitterionic stationary phases with different arranged charged groups. The present work involved the preparation and comparison of three zwitterionic stationary phases. An imidazolium ionic liquid was designed and synthesized, and the cationic and anionic moieties respectively possessed positively charged imidazolium ring and negatively charged sulfonic groups. Then, the prepared ionic liquid, phosphorylcholine and an imidazolium-based zwitterionic selector were bonded on the surface of silica to obtain three zwitterionic stationary phases. The selectivity properties were characterized and compared through the relative retention of selected solute pairs, and different kinds of hydrophilic solutes mixtures were used to evaluate the chromatographic performances. Moreover, the zwitterionic stationary phases were further characterized by the modified linear solvation energy relationship model to probe the multiple interactions. All the results indicated that the types and arrangement of charged groups in zwitterionic stationary phases mainly affect the retention and separation of ionic or ionizable compounds, and for interaction characteristics the contribution from n and π electrons and electrostatic interactions displayed certain differences.