Amine-phenyl multi-component gradient stationary phases

• A simple method to form continuous multi-component gradients for TLC is described.
• The gradient profile strongly depends on the order of modification.
• The gradient profile depends on the extent the TLC plate has already been modified.
• The significance of gradient profile was shown via separation of a vitamin mixture.
• Analyte retention on the TLC plate depends on gradient profile and spotting end.

Continuous multi-component gradients in amine and phenyl groups were fabricated using controlled rate infusion (CRI). Solutions prepared from either 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTEOS) or phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMOS) were infused, in a sequential fashion, at a controlled rate into an empty graduated cylinder housing a vertically aligned thin layer chromatography (TLC) plate. The hydrolyzed precursors reacted with an abundance of silanol (SiOH) groups on the TLC plates, covalently attaching the functionalized silane to its surface. The extent of modification by phenyl and amine was determined by the kinetics of each reaction and the exposure time at each point along the TLC plate. The local concentrations of phenyl and amine were measured using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The profile of the multi-component gradients strongly depended on the order of infusion, the direction of the gradient and the presence of available surface silanol groups. A slightly higher amount of phenyl can be deposited on the TLC plate by first modifying its surface with amine groups as they serve as a catalyst, enhancing condensation. Separation of water- and fat-soluble vitamins and the control of retention factors were demonstrated on the multi-component gradient TLC plates. Uniformly modified and single-component TLC plates gave different separations compared to the multi-component gradient plates. The retention factors of the individual vitamins depended on the order of surface modification, the spotting end, and whether the multi-component gradients align or oppose each other.