Poly(carboxyethyl acrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) precursor monolith with bonded anthracenyl ligands for use in reversed-phase capillary electrochromatography based on hydrophobic and π-π interactions.

In this research report, the post polymerization functionalization (PPF) of a carboxyethyl acrylate (CEA)-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) [poly-CEA-co-EDMA)] precursor monolith with 2-aminoanthracene was carried out in the presence of an organic solvent soluble carbodiimide, namely N,N´-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), yielding the so-called anthracenyl-poly-CEA-co-EDMA monolith. This novel monolith proved to be an excellent monolithic stationary for reversed-phase capillary electrochromatography (RP-CEC) with hydrophobic and π-π interactions of a wide range of nonpolar solutes including those bearing aryl functional groups in their structures such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), toluene derivatives and aniline derivatives as well as solutes carrying in their structures electron withdrawing substituents such as dinitrophenyl-amino acids (DNP-AAs) and di-DNP-AAs. The retention behaviors of the just mentioned solutes obtained on the anthracenyl-poly-CEA-co-EDMA monolithic column were compared to those obtained on octadecyl-poly-CEA-co-EDMA monolithic column prepared from the same carboxy-precursor monolith. The results demonstrated the superiority of anthracenyl column over the octadecyl column for the separation and enhanced selectivity for aromatic solutes since it provides not only hydrophobic interactions but also π-π interactions with aromatic nonpolar solutes.