Gram Quantity Separation of DNP (Dinitrophenyl) Amino Acids with Multi-Layer Coil Countercurrent Chromatography (CCC)

Abstract The efforts have been successfully made to extend the preparative capability of the high-speed CCC scheme with a multi-layer large capacity coiled column. The apparatus is a table top model of a horizontal flow-through coil planet centrifuge which produces a synchronous planetary motion of the column holder. The separation column was prepared from a single piece of 70 m long, 2.6 mm i.d., PTFE tubing coiled around the spool-shaped holder to form multiple layers of the coil with a total capacity of about 400 ml. The performance of the apparatus was assessed with a standard set of DNP amino acid samples and a two-phase solvent system composed of chloroform, acetic acid and 0.1N HCl (2:2:1). Preparative capability of the method was evaluated in terms of the retention level of the stationary phase and peak resolution for various sample size ranging from 0.05g to 2g. The effects of sample volume, sample concentration and the choice of the sample diluent on the separation were studied. The results indicated that both the retention level and the peak resolution tend to decrease with the increase of the sample volume applied at a given concentration. For separation of 1 gram quantity, best results were obtained by applying the sample dissolved in a small volume (10 ml) consisting of equal amounts of the two phases. Overall results indicate that the present scheme is capable of efficient separation for gram quantity of samples in a short period of time. The preparative capability may be further increased by the use of a larger-diameter and/or longer coil.