Expanding the Applications of the Ionic Liquids as GC Stationary Phases: Plasticizers and Synthetic Musks Fragrances

The exceptional properties of the ILs make them ideal for gas chromatography stationary phases. New stationary phases exhibiting good separation selectivity, high efficiency, and high thermal stability are in high demand. Recently, several gas chromatographic capillary columns containing IL stationary phases of various polarities have been introduced on the market. The aim of this work is to extend the applications of the ILs as GC column coatings. The effectiveness of five different commercial IL columns (SLB (TM)-IL59, SLB (TM)-IL76, SLB (TM)-IL82, SLB (TM)-IL100 and SLB (TM)-IL111) for the analysis of two different families of emerging contaminants of environmental concern (plasticizers and synthetic musk fragrances) has been explored. The results obtained for these two families of compounds are compared with the ones obtained when using a (5 %-phenyl)-methylpolysiloxane column. For three of these IL columns, applications have not yet been described. Good resolution for the most of the studied emerging pollutants belonging to five different analytical groups (adipates, phthalates, macrocyclic musks, nitromusks and polycyclic musks) was achieved in all the IL columns.