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Handbook of Size Exclusion Chromatography and Related ...

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The division according to eluent type is applied because the solubilty <strong>of</strong> lignin<br />

samples <strong>of</strong> different origin varies as do the interactions between lignin, eluents,<br />

<strong>and</strong> column packing material. Some new approaches to the physicochemical<br />

behavior <strong>of</strong> lignins in aqueous solutions will also shortly be mentioned.<br />

3.1 SEC Systems Using Organic Eluents (Mostly THF)<br />

as Eluent<br />

THF is the most used eluent for HPSEC (high performance/size exclusion<br />

chromatography) systems using crosslinked polystyrene gels as column packing<br />

material. The solubilty <strong>of</strong> native lignins (milled wood lignin) <strong>and</strong> methylated or<br />

acetylated lignins <strong>and</strong>, in general, lignin fractions with low molar mass is good (9).<br />

Underivatized technical lignins <strong>and</strong> also enzymatically isolated native lignins are,<br />

however, only partly soluble in THF, as are hydrophilic technical lignins. The RI,<br />

UV, viscosity <strong>and</strong> light-scattering detectors <strong>and</strong> the new MALDI-TOF <strong>and</strong> electronspray<br />

detectors have all been applied in HP/SEC systems using THF as eluent.<br />

THF has been used as eluent (9) in the investigation <strong>of</strong> several commercial<br />

<strong>and</strong> semicommercial technical lignins, using the universal calibration with a<br />

differential viscosimeter including an RI detector. The solubility <strong>of</strong> partially<br />

soluble lignin samples was improved by acetylating <strong>and</strong>/or methylating <strong>of</strong> lignin<br />

samples. The measurements with the viscometric detector indicated that the lignin<br />

acetates are compact spherical molecules in THF. This seems to be a general<br />

property for lignin acetates in THF because according to light-scattering<br />

measurements (14) organosolv spruce lignin acetates are more compact in THF<br />

than in acetone. HPSEC measurements <strong>of</strong> lignin using THF as eluent have been<br />

described in an overview by Gellerstedt (15). In the interpretations <strong>of</strong> the results<br />

the lack <strong>of</strong> a full underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> concentration, association, adsorption, <strong>and</strong><br />

exclusion effects <strong>and</strong> their relationship to the hydrodynamic volume <strong>of</strong> lignin<br />

derivatives should be kept in mind. Himmel et al. (16) have demonstrated that<br />

commercially available molar mass st<strong>and</strong>ards, as well as low molar mass lignins,<br />

all follow the universal calibration curve. The universal calibration gives a more<br />

complete picture <strong>of</strong> molar masses <strong>and</strong> molecular size <strong>of</strong> lignins than conventional<br />

calibration using the elution volumes <strong>of</strong> monodisperse polystyrenes for calculation<br />

<strong>of</strong> the calibration line. However, conventional calibration has been used<br />

succesfully in several investigations for both native <strong>and</strong> technical lignins (7,9,17)<br />

when relative values for the molar masses are enough, which is <strong>of</strong>ten the case<br />

when following changes during specific processes. The difficulties in calibrating<br />

an HPSEC/THF system with linear polystyrenes on the one h<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> lignin<br />

fractions, lignin-like molecules, <strong>and</strong> lignin models on the other have been<br />

demonstrated. It was seen that for THF only a low amount <strong>of</strong> association between<br />

lignin molecules occurred but interactions between lignin, eluent, <strong>and</strong> packing<br />

materials did occur (18).<br />

© 2004 by Marcel Dekker, Inc.

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