Application of monolithic (continuous bed) chromatographic columns in phytochemical analysis

One and a half decade passed since the pioneering work on synthesis and application of non-particulate monolithic stationary phases for liquid chromatography was published by S. Hjertén et al. [S. Hjertén, J.L. Liao, R. Zhang, J. Chromatogr. 473 (1989) 273]. This technique attracted much interest and effort of the researchers developing chromatographic methods and designing chromatographic stationary phases due to several generic qualities of the monolithic (continuous bed) technique. Advantages include: flexibility of the technique in sense of chemistries and functional compositions of the resultant stationary phases; low separation impedance (ratio of pressure drop and efficiency) of monolithic columns; compatibility with micro and nanoformat separations; low time and labour consumption and cost-efficiency. Not surprisingly, these materials attracted interest from phytochemists as plants constitute a complex matrix. However to date, not many successful studies were published in the area of monolithic materials for solving plant metabolomics problems or substituting common particulate materials with monolithic stationary phases in phytochemical analysis. This paper provides an overview.