New anthracenyl polar embedded stationary phases with enhanced aromatic selectivity, a combined experimental and theoretical study: Part 1-experimental study

•Presentation of a promising class of polar embedded stationary phases (synthesis and characterization).•Comparison to various commercial stationary phases of different chemistries: C18, Phenylhexyl, RP-amide and 1-Aminoanthracene.•Enhanced affinity for PAH structures than for alkylbenzenes, especially when using methanol instead of acetonitrile.•Faster and more efficient separation (i.e. resolution and peak shape) of a 18 PAH mix. New polar embedded aromatic stationary phases of different functionalities (mono- and trifunctional) and on different silica supports (Fully Porous Particle (FPP) and Superficially Porous Particle (SPP)) were synthesized to determine the impact of the functionality on the retention process and the selectivity towards aromatic compounds. A full experimental characterization was performed using a combination of techniques (elemental analysis, thermogravimetric measurements, infrared spectroscopy and solid-state NMR) to differentiate unambiguously the mono- and trifunctional Stationary Phases (SP). Commercially available columns with either an aromatic group or a polar embedded group were compared to the new stationary phases. The latter presented enhanced affinity for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) structures compared to alkylbenzenes, especially when using methanol instead of acetonitrile as the organic modifier.