Michael Bindis, Stacey Lowery Bretz, N. Danielson
Mar 11, 2011
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Influential Citations
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Journal
Journal of Chemical Education
Abstract
The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) experiment, most often done in the undergraduate analytical instrumentation laboratory course, generally illustrates reversed-phase chromatography using a commercial C18 silica column. To avoid the expense of periodic column replacement and introduce a choice of columns with different stationary phases, we have developed an experiment in which students prepare and test a polymer-based monolithic column. The 10 or 15 cm monolithic column is prepared using 1/8 in. o.d. × 2.3 mm i.d. poly(ether ether ketone) or PEEK tubing. The reaction is accomplished thermally at 60 °C for several hours by polymerization of butyl methacrylate cross-linked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in a porogen system consisting of 1,4-butanediol, 1-propanol, and water. Using toluene and naphthalene as analytes, profiles of retention factor as a function of methanol have been shown. A study of essential nutrients can be accomplished by using an ion-pairing reagent to separate thiam...