Synthesis of a New Cyclosporine-based Stationary Phase and Separation Behaviors toward Aromatic Positional Isomers by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A new cyclosporine-bonded stationary phase has been synthesized through the Staudinger reaction between azido cyclosporine A (CsA) and aminopropyl silica gel and applied in separations of six disubstituted aromatic analytes by high-performance liquid chromatography. For dimethyl phthalate, nitroaniline and chloronitrobenzene, their positional isomers were well-separated on this CsA stationary phase, in which the separation factor for m-/o-dimethyl phthalates was the biggest. For nitrotoluene, dichlorobenzene and benzenediol, the m-/o-isomers were co-eluted. Then, effects of chromatographic conditions (such as types and content of alcoholic modifiers) on separation of nitroaniline positional isomers have been investigated. Retention behaviors of nitroaniline isomers on the column exhibited the strengthening trend along with increasing carbon number of alcohols, from ethanol to 1-propanol, and to 1-butanol. A similar phenomenon was observed by lowering the content of alcohol.