15th International Symposium on Hyphenated Techniques in Chromatography and Separation Technology

Importance of the topic

Hyphenated separation techniques (combinations of chromatographic separations with orthogonal detection or additional separation dimensions) are central to modern analytical chemistry because they enable detailed characterisation of increasingly complex samples across pharmaceutical, environmental, food, energy and biotechnological sectors. Advances in multidimensional separations, interfaces to high-resolution mass spectrometry, ion mobility, supercritical fluid chromatography and automation directly address critical needs: higher peak capacity, improved selectivity, lower detection limits, throughput for large studies and robust workflows for regulated laboratories.

Objectives and overview of the HTC-15 symposium

This summary covers the 15th International Symposium on Hyphenated Techniques in Chromatography and Separation Technology (HTC-15), held 24–26 January 2018 in Cardiff, UK and organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Flemish Chemical Society. The event aimed to present recent instrumental and methodological innovations, facilitate exchange between academia and industry, and highlight practical applications across diverse fields. Key goals included showcasing multidimensional separations, hyphenation strategies to mass spectrometry, big-data approaches and industrial implementations such as SFC in drug development.

Methodology and programme structure

The symposium combined plenary and keynote lectures, oral presentations, early-career talks, short courses, tutorials, vendor seminars, poster sessions and workshops. Short courses covered biopharmaceutical analysis, supercritical fluid chromatography, and statistical analysis of chromatographic data. The scientific programme emphasised:

• Fundamentals and applications of multidimensional liquid and gas chromatography (LC×LC, GC×GC).
• Interfacing chromatography to high-resolution mass spectrometry and ion mobility (IM-MS, FAIMS, cyclic IM).
• Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) theory and industrial case studies.
• Data processing, chemometrics and machine learning for chromatographic and mass spectral data.
• Automation, sample preparation and green analytical methods.

Used instrumentation

The programme and exhibitor list indicate broad instrumentation coverage typical for hyphenated-technique meetings. Representative technologies and system types presented or discussed included:

• High-performance and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC/UHPLC) and multidimensional LC (LC×LC).
• Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) with time-of-flight or high-resolution TOF MS, GC–VUV and GC–FTIR detection.
• Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC/UHPSFC) including SFC–MS coupling.
• Mass spectrometry platforms: quadrupole, QTOF, high-resolution Orbitrap/FT-ICR styles, tandem MS/MS workflows, ICP-MS for element-specific analysis.
• Ion mobility spectrometry hyphenated to MS (cyclic IM-MS, FAIMS).
• Thermal analysis coupled to MS and TD–GC×GC–TOFMS for high-boiling or complex petroleum samples.
• Detectors and interfaces: electrospray (ESI), atmospheric pressure photoionisation (APPI), Unispray, active capillary plasma ionisation, micro hollow cathode discharge detectors, and MS-compatible modulators.
• Orthogonal detectors: light-scattering (SEC-MALS), NMR hyphenation, infrared (QCL-IR) and flame/olfactometry where relevant.
• Automation and sample-preparation platforms: online SPE, solid-phase microextraction (SPME), thermal desorption and robotic SPE systems.

Main results and discussion

HTC-15 emphasised several recurring advances and discussion points rather than a single experimental result (typical for a conference):

• Multidimensional separations are maturing instrumentally and methodologically: progress in modulators, temperature- and solvent-modulated approaches and electric-field-based multidimensional separations were highlighted as routes to higher peak capacity for complex matrices.
• SFC continued to expand from specialist chiral and preparative applications toward routine analytical roles in industry, with talks addressing green solvent advantages, method transfer and robustness for pharmaceutical workflows.
• Hyphenation to advanced mass spectrometry and ion mobility adds structural information and improves isomer separation; developments in cyclic IM and FAIMS were presented with clear benefits for proteomics and metabolomics.
• Comprehensive GC×GC and GC–HRMS remain powerful for environmental, food and petroleum analyses; novel detectors (VUV, FTIR) and improved deconvolution workflows enhance identification and quantitative capabilities.
• Data-centric themes were prominent: chemometrics, Bayesian statistics, machine-learning approaches and improved software for method development and deconvolution were shown to be essential to convert large, complex datasets into actionable information.
• Automation and sample-preparation advances were positioned as the practical bridge enabling high-throughput, reproducible analyses in industrial and regulatory contexts.
• Green analytical chemistry and considerations of throughput versus efficiency (UHPLC/UHPSFC vs. multi-dimensional approaches) were debated with emphasis on sustainability and method lifecycle.

Contributions, awards and practical highlights

The meeting recognised innovation and impact: the HTC Innovation Award went to Prof. Carolin Huhn for instrumental advances in electric-field multidimensional separations; the RSC Knox Medal was awarded to Prof. Peter Myers who addressed continuing relevance of silica stationary phases. Poster awards highlighted temperature-responsive LC columns, novel GC detectors based on micro hollow cathode discharge and solvent-assisted post-column refocusing to enhance detection limits. Vendor engagement demonstrated wide industry support and rapid translation of academic advances into instruments and workflows.

Benefits and practical applications of the presented methods

• Improved characterization of complex biologicals (biopharmaceuticals, lipidomics, proteomics) enabling quality control and clinical studies.
• Enhanced environmental and food contaminant screening via GC×GC and HRMS with advanced data analysis for suspect and non-target screening.
• Faster, greener analytical options (SFC) for routine pharmaceutical analysis with reduced solvent footprint and potential for preparative scale-up.
• Lower detection limits and higher confidence in identification through orthogonal hyphenations (IM-MS, tandem MS, element-specific detection).
• Higher throughput and reproducibility via automated sample preparation and standardised method-development software.

Future trends and possibilities for use

The meeting projected several near- and medium-term trends with clear practical implications:

• Deeper integration of big-data analytics and machine learning into routine chromatographic workflows for automated peak detection, deconvolution and retention prediction.
• Wider adoption of ion mobility as a standard orthogonal dimension providing collision cross-section data for structural annotation in metabolomics and proteomics.
• Continued growth of SFC as a mainstream technique in pharmaceutical labs, combined with robust MS interfaces and greener solvent considerations.
• Advances in microfluidic modulators, electric-field and temperature-responsive chromatographic media enabling faster and higher-resolution multidimensional separations.
• Broader automation of entire workflows from sample prep to data processing to meet throughput demands in industry and large-scale studies.
• Further standardisation of method-transfer protocols, software tools for retention modelling and community best practices for reproducible hyphenated analyses.

Conclusion

HTC-15 illustrated a field moving from proof-of-concept innovations toward mature, application-ready hyphenated techniques. The symposium balanced foundational advances (stationary phases, modulators, ionisation methods) with applied outcomes (biopharma, environment, food, energy) and underscored the critical role of data processing and automation. For laboratories facing complex samples, adopting multidimensional separations combined with advanced MS and robust data workflows offers a path to greater resolution, specificity and throughput while addressing sustainability concerns.

References

• HTC-15: 15th International Symposium on Hyphenated Techniques in Chromatography and Separation Technology, City Hall, Cardiff, UK, 24–26 January 2018. Organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Flemish Chemical Society.
• Symposium programme and short-course materials (HTC-15 organisers and speakers; plenary and keynote lecture summaries and poster abstracts as presented at HTC-15).