Exploring the Possibilities of Cryogenic Cooling in Liquid Chromatography for Biological Applications: A Proof of Principle

The possibilities to use cryogenic cooling to trap components in liquid chromatography was investigated. In a first step, van 't Hoff plots were measured with a reversed-phase column using the temperature control unit of a conventional high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system to gain insight in the retention behavior of proteins at low temperatures. It was estimated that retention factors in the range of k = 10(4) could be achieved at T = -20 degrees C for lysozyme, indicating that temperature is a usable parameter to trap components in LC. In a next step, trapping experiments were carried out on a nano-LC system, equipped with a UV-detector, using a commercial reversed-phase column. An in-house built setup, allowing cooling of a segment of the column, down to temperatures below T = -20 degrees C, was used to trap components. Experiments were conducted under isocratic and gradient conditions with methanol as organic solvent. It is demonstrated that, by thermally trapping and elution of components, an enhanced S/N ratio and decreased peak widths can be obtained. At the same time, a significant increase in pressure drop occurs during the cooling process. Limitations and benefits of the technique are further discussed.