Shape-Selective Separation of Model Analytes in Normal-Phase Liquid Chromatography: A Combined Simulation-Experimental Study.

In this study, we demonstrate that liquid chromatographic separation can be effectively achieved based on shape differences, even for analytes of very similar chemical characters. Using a combined experimental-theoretical approach, we investigated the retention behavior of spherical buckminsterfullerene C60 and disk-shaped coronene at a hydroxylated silica stationary phase, with a mobile phase composed of toluene and -hexane at varying compositions. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) measurements revealed that increasing the -hexane content enhances the separability of the two analytes, primarily due to coronene's stronger retention.

Assessment of Hydrophilicity/Hydrophobicity in Mesoporous Silica by Combining Adsorption, Liquid Intrusion, and Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy.

We have developed a comprehensive strategy for quantitatively assessing the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of nanoporous materials by combining advanced adsorption studies, novel liquid intrusion techniques, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. For this, we have chosen a well-defined system of model materials, i.e.