Cellulose acetate as stationary phase in microcolumn LC

Abstract

Abstract The retention characteristics of alkylbenzenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been examined in liquid chromatography on a microcapillary column packed with cellulose acetate. Particulate and fibrous cellulose acetate were used as the stationary phase. Fibrous cellulose diacetate was found to be of use as an alternative stationary phase for liquid chromatography, although the separation efficiency was low. The retention characteristics for planar PAHs were linearly correlated with the size of the molecules, but the retention behavior for alkylbenzenes and nonplanar PAHs was affected by exclusion. The retention order was strongly influenced by the addition of dimethylformamide or water to methanol in the mobile phase. The results suggested that the retention behavior is influenced by a slight change in the polymer matrix of cellulose acetate.