Capillary ion chromatography of inorganic anions on octadecyl silica monolith modified with an amphoteric surfactant

A reversed-phase monolithic silica based capillary column (Onyx C18, 150 mm × 0.1 mm) was modified with the amphoteric surfactant, N-dodecyl-N,N-(dimethylammonio)undecanoate (DDMAU) and evaluated for the separation and determination of inorganic anions using on-column capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D). The chromatographic performance of the column was evaluated and under optimal conditions separation efficiencies of 56,200 plates per meter or 7025 plates per column (at detection point) were observed (for iodide). Direct plumbing of the capillary column to the micro-injector and on-column detection eliminated extra-column band broadening, thus allowing accurate analysis of van Deemter curves obtained for the monolithic capillary column. The calculated value for the C-term in the obtained van Deemter curve was between 3 and 4 ms for inorganic anions, allowing for the utilisation of relatively high flow rates without significant losses in efficiency. The performance of the C4D detector was investigated and compared for detection on an open tubular capillary column and on the modified monolithic silica capillary column. The on-column detection approach did not result in any significant decrease in peak sensitivity for the monolith compared to responses recorded for open tubular capillary columns, and in addition meant the system could be applied to rapid separations by simple variation in apparent column length. The proposed chromatographic system allowed for detection of common anions at sub-ppm level with a 10 nL injection volume. Additionally, on-column detection allowed visualisation of the development of the separation at any point in time and evaluation of the longitudinal uniformity of the ion-exchange coating.