Generic UHPLC Method for the Simultaneous Analysis of Compounds with a Wide Range of Polarities

Appropriate analytical methods are required to evaluate the presence, metabolism, degradation, and removal of specific compounds in complex mixtures. There is an increasing demand to analyze samples with a wide range of polarities in a variety of applications, including environmental analysis, biomarker discovery, and proteomics. Multiple analyses on complementary columns are often needed to cover the separation of all compounds with a large difference in polarity. This article describes a generic method involving an ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system equipped with two external switching valves to connect hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase LC columns in series for the sequential analysis of polar and apolar compounds. The method was successfully applied to separate 32 pharmaceutical compounds with a wide range of polarities, which could be useful for analyzing pharmaceutical compounds in the environment.