A general strategy for performing temperature-programming in high performance liquid chromatography—Further improvements in the accuracy of retention time predictions of segmented temperature gradients

In the present work it is shown that the linear elution strength (LES) model which was adapted from temperature-programming gas chromatography (GC) can also be employed for systematic method development in high-temperature liquid chromatography (HT-HPLC). The ability to predict isothermal retention times based on temperature-gradient as well as isothermal input data was investigated. For a small temperature interval of ΔT=40 °C, both approaches result in very similar predictions. Average relative errors of predicted retention times of 2.7% and 1.9% were observed for simulations based on isothermal and temperature-gradient measurements, respectively. Concurrently, it was investigated whether the accuracy of retention time predictions of segmented temperature gradients can be further improved by temperature dependent calculation of the parameter STST of the LES relationship. It was found that the accuracy of retention time predictions of multi-step temperature gradients can be improved to around 1.5%, if STST was also calculated temperature dependent. The adjusted experimental design making use of four temperature-gradient measurements was applied for systematic method development of selected food additives by high-temperature liquid chromatography. Method development was performed within a temperature interval from 40 °C to 180 °C using water as mobile phase. Two separation methods were established where selected food additives were baseline separated. In addition, a good agreement between simulation and experiment was observed, because an average relative error of predicted retention times of complex segmented temperature gradients less than 5% was observed. Finally, a schedule of recommendations to assist the practitioner during systematic method development in high-temperature liquid chromatography was established.

► Isothermal retention times were predicted based on temperature-gradient measurements.
► A further parameter of the retention model was calculated temperature-dependent.
► Accuracy of retention times predictions were improved to around 1.5%.
► Temperature-gradient method development for six food additives was performed.
► A schedule of recommendations for systematic method development in HT-HPLC was given.