Use of the sol-gel technique to prepare capillary columns coated with a macrocyclic dioxopolyamine for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography

Summary

Columns for open-tubular (OT) capillary electrochromatography (CEC), coated with 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclotridecane-11,13-dione (dioxo[13]aneN₄) by use of the sol-gel technique, have been investigated for the first time. Dioxol[13]aneN₄ was reacted with 3-(2-cyclooxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane and the product was then mixed with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and water to form a glass matrix as a network in which the stationary phase (dioxo[13]aneN₄) was incorporated. In comparison with OTCEC columns prepared by the sol-gel process with TEOS only, the sol-gel-derived macrocyclic dioxopolyamine columns enabled better separations of a mixture of isomeric nitrophenols and benzenediols, a mixture of isomeric aminophenols and diaminobenzenes, and a mixture of four biogenic monoamine neurotransmitters. High efficiencies (60 000—340 000 plates m⁻¹) were achieved for isomeric benzenediols, aminophenols, nitrophenols, and diaminobenzenes. Migration time and theoretical plate number reproducibility was satisfactory;RSD was <2% for one column and <8.5% from column to column.