[Effects of buffer salt types and non-counter ions of ion-pair reagents on the retention behavior of strongly ionized acid compounds in ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography].

Ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography (IP-RPLC) enhances separation by adding ion-pair reagents to the mobile phase, thereby improving the retention of oppositely charged solutes. IP-RPLC is primarily used for the separation and analysis of strongly ionized compounds. In IP-RPLC, researchers often focus more on the influence of the counter-ion type and concentration, buffer salt concentration and pH, and column temperature, on the retention behavior of solutes. However, the effects of the buffer salt type and non-counter ions in ion-pair reagents on the retention behavior of solutes have rarely been investigated. Accordingly, in this work, the effects of buffer salt types and non-counter ions on the retention behavior of strongly ionized compounds were investigated by IP-RPLC using 14 sulfonic acid compounds as model compounds. Experiments were performed using a silica-based C18 column with methanol as the organic modifier. In the first type of experiment, tetrabutylammonium bromide was kept unchanged as the ion-pair reagent in the mobile phase, and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, ammonium chloride, and ammonium acetate were used as buffer salts, respectively. The retention factor (k) was obtained at different methanol ratios, and linear solvent strength (LSS) models were established to determine the log kw (logarithm of retention factors of solutes when 100% aqueous phases were used as the mobile phase) and S (intercept of the LSS model) values of each solute. All solutes exhibited the highest log kw with the ammonium chloride buffer system; most compounds also exhibited the highest S values with this system, except for 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid, 4-methylbenzenesulfonic acid, 5-amino-2-nanphthalenesulfonic acid, and 4-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid. However, the chromatographic hydrophobic indices (CHIs, log kw/S) of the solutes with different buffer salts were approximately equal. In the second type of experiment, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate was kept unchanged as the buffer salt in the mobile phase, and tetrabutylammonium bromide, tetrabutylammonium dihydrogen phosphate, tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate, tetrabutylammonium nitrate, and tetrabutylammonium acetate were used as ion-pair reagents, respectively. Almost all solutes exhibited the highest S with the tetrabutylammonium acetate system, indicating that weakly ionized anions (such as acetate ions) in ion-pair reagents will improve the S values of sulfonic acid compounds. Interestingly, the CHIs of the solutes were almost the same for solutes with different non-counter ions. These results suggest that both, the buffer salt types and non-counter ions, influence the log kw and S values of sulfonic acid compounds. Comparison of the retention behavior of solutes with different mobile phases suggested ion-pair mechanisms as well as dynamic ion-exchange mechanisms plays role in the IP-RPLC retention of sulfonic acid compounds. In addition, with all the experimental mobile phases, the apparent n-octanol/water partition coefficient (log D) presented a good linear correlation with log kw, S, and CHI, respectively, by the introduction of structure-related descriptors such as charge (ne), Abraham solvation parameters (A and B), and the polar surface area (PSA). Considering the differences in the log kw and S values obtained with different buffer salts and non-counter ions, the CHIs were relatively stable; therefore, the CHI is more suitable for establishing a quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) model in IP-RPLC, compared to log kw and S.