Fluorine solid phase extraction technology (F-SPE) of fluorosilicone rubber is an efficient means of separating target molecules. The following is a detailed introduction to the technology:


1. Technical principle
Fluorine solid phase extraction technology uses fluorosilicone rubber  as a fluorine-containing stationary phase to quickly separate fluorine-containing components from a mixture through fluorine-fluorine interaction. The fluorine stationary phase is a typical fluorine-carbon bonded silica gel phase, and the length of the attached fluorine tail can vary within a certain range.

2. Technical steps
Sample loading: After dissolving the mixture in a small amount of organic solvent, load it into the fluorosilicone rubber separation column.
Elute non-fluorine molecules: Use a fluorine-phobic solvent (such as a methanol-water mixture) to elute non-fluorine molecules, while fluorine-containing molecules are retained on the fluorosilica gel separation column.
Elute fluorine-containing components: Use a fluorine-philic solvent (such as pure THF or methanol) to elute the fluorine-containing components from the stationary phase.

3. Technical characteristics
High efficiency: Fluorine-fluorine interaction enables fluorine-containing components to efficiently bind to fluorosilicone rubber, thereby achieving rapid separation.
Selectivity: By adjusting the polarity of the elution solvent, the selective separation of components with different fluorine contents can be achieved.
Stability: Fluorosilica gel is relatively stable, and the fluorosilica gel separation column can be repeatedly rinsed with a fluorine-friendly solvent to maintain a high column efficiency.

4. Application Fields
Organic Synthesis: Fluorine solid phase extraction technology can be used to separate simple small molecules, complex peptides, nucleotides and carbohydrates containing and not containing fluorine.
Life Sciences: In the field of life sciences, F-SPE can be used to enrich a class of fluorine-containing substances from a mixture, such as fluorine-containing cysteinyl peptides. In addition, fluorine tags have good compatibility with mass spectrometry, so this technology is also used in various types of biomass spectrometry-based omics research, such as proteomes, post-translationally modified proteomes, metabolomes, etc.
Catalyst Carrier: Fluorosilica gel can also be used as a catalyst carrier, especially for immobilizing fluorine-containing ligands and fluorine-containing catalysts. This catalyst obtained based on fluorine immobilization technology is also widely used in reactions in aqueous media.

5. Precautions
Choose the right fluorosilica gel: According to the characteristics of the sample to be separated, different specifications of fluorosilica gel can be selected.
Optimize elution conditions: By adjusting the polarity of the elution solvent and the elution time, the components with different fluorine contents can be effectively separated.
Avoid contamination: During the operation, care should be taken to avoid using containers and pipelines containing fluorine materials to reduce interference with the separation results.

In summary, the fluorine solid phase extraction technology of fluorine silica gel has the advantages of high efficiency, selectivity and stability, and has broad application prospects in organic synthesis, life sciences and catalyst carriers.