Argentation chromatography for the separation of polycyclic aromatic compounds according to ring number

Crude oils are the most complex mixtures known and every speciation method relies on a simplification of their complexity. Argentation chromatography is shown to be superior to traditional liquid chromatographic ways of separating aromatic compounds based on the number of aromatic carbon atoms. A silver(I) mercaptopropano silica gel allows an efficient group separation of polycyclic aromatic compounds to be achieved. The usefulness of this phase is demonstrated for SRM 1582 Wilmington crude oil and a diesel fuel. Furthermore, the phase can also be used for semi-preparative purposes to collect fractions for further analysis with high resolution mass spectrometry. Orbitrap mass spectra are obtained here for the polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles and it is demonstrated that they can contain one to five naphtheno rings.

► Separation of polycyclic aromatic compounds according to number of π-electrons. ► Silver ions complexed in the stationary phase. ► PAHs and sulfur heterocycles separated semi-preparatively based on π-electron number. ► Ultrahigh resolution MS on fractions of sulfur heterocycles in Wilmington crude. ► One to five naphtheno rings in polycyclic aromatic compounds in a crude oil.