Fast determination of anions on a short coated column

In this paper, a simple method for the separation and determination of common inorganic anions by fast ion-exchange chromatography, using a modified short (25 mm × 4.6 mm) monolithic column, is reported. Coating the column with a cationic surfactant, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), the isocratic separation of some inorganic anions in minutes was possible, by direct or indirect UV detection. The coated column demonstrated excellent stability over time, even at a high flow-rate, giving retention times with an average relative standard deviation of 1.3% for over 10 consecutive runs. The developed column exhibited unusual selectivity for common anions, was successfully applied to the rapid analysis of inorganic anions of food samples, river water and factory waste water samples.