HPLC-FID with Superheated Water as the Eluent: Improved Methods and Instrumentation

In the current study, an HPLC-FID system using superheated water as the eluent is constructed and further improved. Signal stability during temperature programmed operation was improved by using separate thermostatting of the 50 μm capillary restrictor. Operating the restrictor at 75°C prevented the superheated water from sputtering in the restrictor. Conventional octadecyl-modified silica, thermostable polymeric reversed phase and carbon type HPLC columns were used. The feasibility of the system is demonstrated by the analysis of a variety of compounds such as alcohols and aldehydes. It is shown that increased temperatures decrease elution times and, in addition to this, frequently improve peak shapes and column efficiencies. The separation of lower aldehydes is performed at 175°C with a detection limit in the low μg/ml range. The possibility of temperature programming is demonstrated for the separation of a range of alcohols. Furthermore, it is shown that temperature programming can be used for sample enrichment. Large volume injection with low temperature enrichment resulted in good peak shapes and a significant improvement of the detection limit. In this way, detection limits of 0.2 μg/ml (ppm) could be obtained for the aldehydes studied. Finally, the possibilities of using mobile phase additives as, e.g., buffers were briefly examined.