Application of inert biphenyl stationary phase in the analysis of mycotoxins and other fungal alkaloids

Stainless steel has been the preferred material to manufacture HPLC columns due to its ease of fabrication and mechanical resistance to pressure. Nevertheless, metal-analyte interactions are prevalent in the chromatographic device and may lead to poor peak shapes, low recoveries, and overall poor performance. This type of Non-Specific Adsorption (NSA) has been documented in the literature and several solutions has been commercialized in recent years to mitigate such interactions. Inert coatings via Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) offer one of the best solutions while enhancing the analyses of several acidic and chelating-prone species. In this study, we leveraged the biphenyl stationary phase with coated hardware towards the analysis of mycotoxins and psychedelic mushroom alkaloids. The inert biphenyl solution offered significantly higher sensitivity and peak areas without the need for chemical passivation or repetitive injections, while mitigating the carryover of several highly adsorptive analytes (i.e., fumonisins and tenuazonic acid). Overall, the implementation of inert coatings in HPLC column hardware offer a robust and improved chromatographic performance without the need to alter already established methods and workflows. A survey of other LC passivating techniques will also be discussed.