Application of a Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Detector Automatically Coupled to HPLC for Speciation of Metal-Containing Macromolecules

摘要

High pressure liquid chormatography (HPLC) coupled with graphite furnace atomic absorption (GFAA) is capable of sensitive, nearly non-destructive, element-specific separation and detection of a wide range of molecular species containing metals or metalloids. Applications of HPLC-GFAA techniques are discussed, including size exclusion chromatography (SEC) for the analysis of experimental organometallic polymrs containing chemically bonded biocidal organotin moieties, and reverse bonded phase (RBP) chromatogrphy for analysis of novel organoin silicatesIn conjuncton with variably sensitive optical RI/UV detection, GFAA demonstratesseparation of the polymers into a least two tin-containing fractions of widely different molecular weight (MW). The relative proportions of high and low MW fractions have importat implication with respect to performance specifications for these and similar controlled release materials. Tin-specific ans silicon-specific analysis of an organotin silicate demonstrates co-elution of species containing each element. Future off/online Si29 and Sn119 FT-NMR will demonstrate whether each element is bonded to the same molecular species.