Preparation of two amphiphilic dendritic small molecule gelators based on poly (aryl ether) modified silica-based chromatographic stationary phases and molecular shape recognition for shape-restricted isomers.

Geometric isomers tend to have similar polarities and differ only in molecular shape. Vigorously developing new stationary phases to meet the requirements for the separation of isomers that have similar physicochemical properties is still an urgent topic in separation science. Poly (arylene ether)-based dendrimers are known for their multifunctional branched peripheral structures and high self-assembly properties. In this paper, two amphiphilic dendritic organic small molecule gelling agents based on poly (aryl ether), PAE-ANT and PAE-PA, were prepared and conjugated to the silica surface. SiO@PAE-ANT and SiO@PAE-PA were used as HPLC stationary phases for the separation of non-polar shape-restricted isomers. Both stationary phases have very high molecular shape selectivity for isomers such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), tocopherols and carotenoids. Separation of cis-trans geometric isomers such as diethylstilbestrol and polar compounds such as monosubstituted benzenes and anilines can also be achieved. These two columns offer more flexible selectivity and higher separation performance than commercial C and phenyl columns. There is a difference in molecular shape selectivity between the two stationary phases for the same analyte test probes. SiO@PAE-ANT showed slightly better linear selectivity for non-polar shape-restricted isomers compared to SiO@PAE-PA with Janus-type PAE-PA bonding phase. This separation behavior may be attributed to the ordered spatial structure formed by the gel factor on the surface of the stationary phase and the combined effect of multiple weak interaction centers (hydrophobic, hydrophilic, hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions). It was also possible to separate nucleoside and nucleobase strongly polar compounds well in the HILIC mode, suggesting that hydrophilic groups in PAE-ANT and PAE-PA are involved in the interactions, reflecting their amphiphilic nature. The results show that the ordered gelation of dendritic organic small molecule gelators on the SiO surface, along with multiple carbonyl-π, π-π and other interactions, play a crucial role in the separating shape-restricted isomers. The integrated and ordered functional groups serve as the primary driving force behind the exceptionally high molecular shape selectivity of SiO@PAE-ANT and SiO@PAE-PA phases. Alterations in the structure of dendritic organic small molecule gelators can impact both molecular orientation and recognition ability, while changes in the type of functional groups influences the separation mechanism of shape-restricted isomers.