Preparation Strategy for Uniformly Sized, Polymer-Based HPLC Packing Materials Having Practically Acceptable Column Efficiency. 1. Copolymerization Technique

Uniformly sized, polymer-based packing materials affording excellent chromatographic performance in semimicro HPLC were prepared from mixtures of alkyl methacrylate and glycerol dimethacrylate by a copolymerization technique using a multistep swelling and polymerization method. A column efficiency of up to 13 000 plates was obtained for a 2-mm-i.d. × 150-mm column with beads prepared from a 1:1 (v:v) mixture of an alkyl methacrylate and glycerol dimethacrylate. The packing materials exhibit a considerable improvement in column efficiency, as demonstrated on the separation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) having a relatively long retention time, which thus far has been a serious problem of polymer-based packing materials. Detailed studies suggested a rather limited optimum pore size, and its distribution was depicted to get the excellent column efficiency on polymer-based packing materials.