Preparation and characterization of a new microwave immobilized poly(2-phenylpropyl)methylsiloxane stationary phase for reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography

•A new phenyl type stationary phase was prepared and characterized.•Some physical–chemical properties of PPPMS were obtained.•Microwave radiation was used to prepare the stationary phases.•Test mixtures were used to obtain the chromatographic properties of the new phase.

A new reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) stationary phase was prepared and its chromatographic and physical–chemical properties were evaluated. The new stationary phase was prepared with a silica support and poly(2-phenylpropyl)methylsiloxane (PPPMS), a phenyl type polysiloxane copolymer. Since this is a new copolymer and there is little information in the literature, it was submitted to physical–chemical characterization by infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. The chromatographic phase was prepared through sorption and microwave immobilization of the copolymer onto a silica support. The chromatographic performance was evaluated by employing test procedures suggested by Engelhardt and Jungheim, Tanaka and co-workers, Neue, and Szabó and Csató. These test mixtures provide information about the hydrophobic selectivity, silanophilic activity, ion-exchange capacity, shape selectivity and interaction with polar analytes of the new Si-PPPMS reversed phase. Stability tests were developed using accelerated aging tests under both basic and acidic conditions to provide information about the lifetime of the packed columns.