Evaluating stationary phase selectivity for retention index determination and resolution of n-hexadecene isomers
- 1L’Oréal Research and Innovation
Abstract
Higher olefins, specifically n-hexadecene (C16H32), are essential raw materials in the cosmetic industry, particularly for the synthesis of biodegradable surfactants. However, resolving the complex landscape of positional and geometric (cis/trans) isomers remains a significant analytical challenge. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of gas chromatography (GC) stationary phase selectivity for the separation of n-hexadecene isomers and stereoisomers. By comparing non-polar (Rxi-5Sil MS), polar (ZB-WAX plus) and highly polar (SP-2560) columns against historical stationary phases, we identified a distinct ‘crossover’ elution trend on non-polar phases. Conversely, the highly polar SP-2560 demonstrated superior selectivity, consistently eluting trans-isomers before their cis-counterparts across all positional n-hexadecene isomers. Notably, this research is the first to utilize synthesized and NMR-characterized analytical standards to establish Retention Indices (RI) for these specific isomers. By eliminating the ambiguity associated with historical isomer mixtures, this work provides a rigorous benchmark for future analysis of complex C16 olefins-based raw materials.
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BibTeX
@article{pinto2026evaluating,
title = {{Evaluating stationary phase selectivity for retention index determination and resolution of n-hexadecene isomers}},
author = {M. Isabel A. Pinto and Tanguy Desbrosses--Lacombre and Priscilla Riva and Nadège Garçonnat and Alexis Dubuis and Natali Stojiljkovic},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-69681-2},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-69681-2},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Evaluating stationary phase selectivity for retention index determination and resolution of n-hexadecene isomers
AU - M. Isabel A. Pinto
AU - Tanguy Desbrosses--Lacombre
AU - Priscilla Riva
AU - Nadège Garçonnat
AU - Alexis Dubuis
AU - Natali Stojiljkovic
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-69681-2
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-69681-2
AB - Higher olefins, specifically n-hexadecene (C16H32), are essential raw materials in the cosmetic industry, particularly for the synthesis of biodegradable surfactants. However, resolving the complex landscape of positional and geometric (cis/trans) isomers remains a significant analytical challenge. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of gas chromatography (GC) stationary phase selectivity for the separation of n-hexadecene isomers and stereoisomers. By comparing non-polar (Rxi-5Sil MS), polar (ZB-WAX plus) and highly polar (SP-2560) columns against historical stationary phases, we identified a distinct ‘crossover’ elution trend on non-polar phases. Conversely, the highly polar SP-2560 demonstrated superior selectivity, consistently eluting trans-isomers before their cis-counterparts across all positional n-hexadecene isomers. Notably, this research is the first to utilize synthesized and NMR-characterized analytical standards to establish Retention Indices (RI) for these specific isomers. By eliminating the ambiguity associated with historical isomer mixtures, this work provides a rigorous benchmark for future analysis of complex C16 olefins-based raw materials.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -