Chapter 28

HIGH PERFORMANCE
LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY
(HPLC)

NOTE: HPLC came about because not all compounds can be

vaporized and analyzed on a GC

Source: D.C. Harris, Exploring Chemical Analysis, 2nd ed. (2001)

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 Summary of Method
High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

An analytical separation technique that involves the high-pressure
flow of a liquid through a column that contains the stationary phase.

Mobile phase: Liquid

Stationary phase: Can be a solid (LSC) or a liquid (LLC)

A mixture of compounds injected at one end of the column

separates as the compounds pass through.

Separated compounds are detected electronically as they

elute at the other end of the column.

Comparison with GC

Parameter GC HPLC
Basis of Interaction of solutes with Interaction of solutes
separation the s.p.; solute vapor with both the s.p. and
pressure m.p.
Analysis time Fast (a few minutes for Slower than GC
simple mixtures) (several minutes for a
simple mixture
Temperature for Usually requires a high Usually a room
separation temperature (>40 0C) temperature technique
Separation of volatile and Separation of a wider
Applications thermally stable range of compounds --
compounds - cannot be high MW, polar, and
used for high MW and ionic compounds
highly polar compounds

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 Instrumentation

Instrumentation (Cont.)

Major components

1) Solvent or mobile phase

 Usually a mixture of an organic solvent (Ex. methanol, IPA)
and water
 Solvent polarity affects the separation process
 Sometimes buffered - keeps solutes in electrically neutral form

Mobile phase considerations

Must be filtered (to prevent tiny solids from depositing at the
column head) and degassed
 Bubbles could interfere with detection
 Degassing is done by helium sparging

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Instrumentation (Cont.)

2. Pump
 Role is to pump the solvent at a high pressure (usually from
1000 to 6000 psi) through the packed column

Instrumentation (Cont.)
3. Sample introduction system
 Introduces the injected sample to the flowing mobile phase
 Usually a loop injector – see image below
 Automated injectors are common

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Instrumentation (Cont.)

4. Column
 A small metal tube (typically 5 to 30 cm long; 1-5 mm i.d.)
that contains the stationary phase

 Role is to separate the components of a mixture

Column – Cont.

 Much shorter than columns used in GC --- Why?

Highly efficient separations achieved in HPLC due to

interactions of both m.p. and s.p. with the components of
a mixture

 No need for long columns

 vs. GC, where only the s.p. interacts with
components

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 Instrumentation (Cont.)

5. Detector
 Different design from those of GC detectors because the
components are dissolved in a liquid m.p. (vs. gas in GC)

Detectors – Cont.

UV detectors – most common

UV absorption cell for HPLC
 Applications: Respond to  Z-shaped flow cell - > more
substances that absorb light in time for UV light to pass th/
the range 180 to 350 nm

Most organics
 π systems (aromatics,
alkenes, alkynes)

 Carbonyls

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Mass spectrometric detectors – in LCMS
 Challenges: (1) Converting liquid column effluent to gas
(Recall: MS is a gaseous phase technique) and
Electrospray
(2) removing a lot of solvent before entering MS ionization*

Use of nanoscale capillary LC – flow rates of µL/min

* Similar to a nebulizer, but uses an

electrode and high voltage to form fine,
charged droplets

HPLC Column Selection

Dependent on the:
(1) type of mixture being separated, and
(2) type of interaction with the s.p.

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Two kinds of liquid chromatography based on the type of
mixture being separated

1) Normal phase chromatography utilizes a:

polar s.p.

nonpolar m.p.

 Has its origin in older LSC, which utilized polar silica or

alumina s.p.
 Uses normal phase columns
 Made of polar stationary phase bonded to a solid support

Called bonded phase s.p.

Application: Separation of polar compounds (amino acids and

peptides, alcohols, carboxylic acids)

Examples of polar bonded (stationary) phases:

Examples of nonpolar or low polarity mobile phases

 Hydrocarbons, such as hexane (C6H14) and toluene
(C7H8)

 Chloroform, CHCl3

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2) Reverse phase chromatography - utilizes a:

nonpolar s.p. and

polar m.p.
 Uses reverse phase columns = contains nonpolar bonded
phase s.p.

Application: Separation of nonpolar compounds

Octyl = C8 Octadecyl = C18

Reverse phase chromatography (Cont.)

Example of nonpolar bonded (stationary) phases:

 Hydrocarbons (with C8 and C18; most common)

Example of polar mobile phases

 A mixture of water and an organic solvent (methanol,
acetonitrile)
Note: Bonded phases are usually attached to a silica or silica-based
solid support

Silica w/ reactive Replacement of silanol group w/ R

silanol (Si-OH) groups groups to produce bonded phases

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 Selection of Mobile Phase

Eluent strength = ability of the m.p. to elute a solute from the column
 Increased by approaching the polarity of the s.p. (i.e. by
competing w/ the s.p. for the solute)

Results to better elution of components at a shorter
analysis time

Q. What changes can be done to increase the eluent strength in HPLC?

Normal phase chromatography
↑ eluent strength by ↑ polarity of the m.p.
In practice: Add a miscible, more polar solvent
Reverse phase chromatography
↑ eluent strength by ↓ polarity of the m.p.
In practice: Add a miscible, less polar solvent

Increasing eluent strength (Cont.)

Drill: Arrange the following solvents in the order of

increasing polarity.

Acetonitrile; hexane; water; methanol; isopropyl alcohol

Answer:
Hexane < Acetonitrile < Isopropyl alcohol < Methanol < Water

Increasing eluent strength (Cont.)

 Normal phase chromatography => Increase proportion of
water or methanol, or
 decrease amount of hexane (becomes more polar)

 Reverse phase chromatography => Decrease proportion of

water or methanol

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 Effect of other parameters on retention of solutes

1. Column length effect

↑ length, ↑ tR
↑ analysis time

2. Polarity of the s.p.

Polar solutes are more soluble (more retained)
in polar s.p.

3. Mobile phase flow rate

m.p. flow rate, tR = analysis time

Effect of other parameters …

Q. How would you decrease tR of strongly retained solutes?

Increase m.p. flow rate, and/or

Increase eluent strength, and/or

Use a shorter column => last resort

4. Polarity of mobile phase

 Polar m.p. elutes polar components faster;

Nonpolar m.p. elutes nonpolar components faster

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 Increasing
polarity of m.p.

Increasing
polarity of
m.p.

 As the polarity of the m.p. approaches that of the s.p.,

tR decreases due to increased eluent strength

Effect of other parameters on retention of solutes (Cont.)

5. Nature of bonded s.p.

 Retention increases as chain length increases

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Challenge: What kind of samples
would contain these compounds?

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 Solvent composition in HPLC

ISOCRATIC vs. GRADIENT ELUTION

 Analogous to isothermal vs. programmed temperature in
GC in terms of outcome
Isocratic elution

Uses a constant solvent composition throughout the
separation process

Ideal for the separation of simple mixtures

Gradient elution

Solvent composition is changed in time (by increasing
eluent strength)

Applies to the separation of more complex mixtures

Isocratic vs. Gradient Elution of chlorinated benzenes on a

C18 column

Isocratic elution
 Poor resolution of early-eluting solutes
 Extremely long tR of late-eluting solutes

Gradient elution
 Improved separation within a
much shorter time
Source: Skoog, Holler and Nieman, Principles of
Instrumental Analysis.” 5th ed., Harcourt Brace,1998.

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