High-performance semi-preparative liquid chromatography of diesel engine emission particulate extracts

In our study, the use of a silica microparticulate packing in conjunction with a large diameter (8 mm) separation column and commercially available high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrumentation has resulted in a maximum allowable sample size of 15-25 mg, with little or no reduction of resolution when compared to analytical HPLC separations. This method fits into the semi-preparative, or Type 2 preparative liquid chromatography (PLC) classification, which is best suited for the fractionation of compounds present in complex mixtures. The solvent program used was designed to provide separation of paraffins from polycycli aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), of nitro-PAHs, and of the oxygenated-PAH sub-fractions.