title: An assessment of the retention behaviour of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on reversed phase stationary phases: selectivity and retention on C18 and phenyl-type surfaces.
abstract: In this manuscript the retention and selectivity of a set of linear and non-linear PAHs were evaluated on five different reversed-phase columns. These phases included C18 and C18 Aqua stationary phases, as well as three phenyl phases: Propyl-phenyl, Synergi polar-RP and Cosmosil 5PBB phase. Overall, the results revealed that the phenyl-type columns offered better separation performance for the linear PAHs, while the separation of the structural isomer PAHs was enhanced on the C18 columns. The Propyl-phenyl column was found to have the highest molecular-stationary phase interactions, as evidenced by the greatest rate of change in 'S' (0.71) as a function of the molecular weight in the PAH homologous series, despite having the lowest surface coverage (3% carbon load) (where S is the slope of a plot of logk versus the solvent composition). In contrast, the C18 Aqua column, having the highest surface coverage (15% carbon load) was found to have the second lowest molecular-stationary phase interactions (rate of change in S=0.61). Interestingly, the Synergi polar-RP column, which also is a phenyl stationary phase behaved more 'C18-like' than 'phenyl-like' in many of the tests undertaken. This is probably not unexpected since all five phases were reversed phase.
authors.affiliation: Nanoscale Organisation and Dynamics Group, University of Western Sydney, NSW 1797, Australia.
authors.forename: Sindy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kayillo
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: R Andrew
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Shalliker
mesh_terms: D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons