Synthesis of sulfonamide- and sulfonyl-phenylboronic acid-modified silica phases for boronate affinity chromatography at physiological pH

Two new types of boronate affinity solid phases were synthesized and characterized. The materials were prepared by silylation of porous silica gel with monochlorosilane derivatives containing synthetic sulfonyl- and sulfonamide-substituted phenylboronic acids. The new solid phases were evaluated for boronate affinity chromatography with aryl and alkyl cis-diol compounds and were found to be suitable for the retention of cis-diols under acidic conditions. Significant correlations between the retention factor (K) and the pH of the mobile phase demonstrate that the binding of cis-diols to the solid phases is best rationalized by chelation. Based on the lower pKa, caused by the electron-withdrawing effects of the sulfonyl and sulfonamide groups, these media display an enhanced affinity for cis-diols as compared with unsubstituted phenylboronic acid. Using isocratic elution, a mixture of various biologically relevant l-tyrosines, l-DOPA, and several catecholamines were resolved with a mobile phase composed of 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 5.5). Mono-, di-, and triphosphates of adenosine were also separated at pH 6.0. Hence, the new boronate solid phase offers efficient affinity separation and purification of cis-diol-containing molecules under rather mild pH conditions.