Design and evaluation of C18 stationary phases with different polar-embedded groups for liquid chromatography.

New stationary phases including polar embedded stationary phases that are capable of utilising green mobile phases have recently emerged. This study presents two straightforward strategies for preparing C18 phases with distinct polar-embedded groups: thioether (C18 _T ) and quaternary ammonium (C18 _Q ). The two strategies were assessed based on convenience, cost, yield, and time efficiency. After successful characterization, the phases and commercial C18 phases were thoroughly evaluated using various standard substances and testing protocols. Both C18 _T and C18 _Q exhibited excellent wettability in highly aqueous mobile phases and good shape selectivity. C18 _T which has a low bonding density, demonstrated an impressive level of selectivity in the separation of basic compounds compared to other phases. In comparison, C18 _Q exhibited enhanced performance in separating acidic compounds, benefiting from the embedded quaternary ammonium groups. The present study proposes a novel approach for constructing polar embedded alkyl stationary phases, which represents a necessary supplement to the existing C18 materials.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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