Removal of BPA model compounds and related substances by means of column chromatography using Octolig®

Octolig (R), a polyethylenediimine ligand covalently attached to high-surface area silica gel, was used to study the removal of phenolic compounds from aqueous samples by column chromatography. Model phenolic compounds of Bisphenol A(BPA), 4-isopropylphenol and 4-(t-butyl) phenol, were selected for this study due to their similarities in pKa and log P values. The percent removal of these compounds by Octolig (R) was 26 +/- 2 and 22 +/- 2, respectively. Furthermore, the three isomers of nitrophenol were investigated as well as additional phenolic compounds, such as amoxicillin and five phenolic dyes. These compounds have a pKa range of 2-10.2. The compounds that have pKa values less than 8.3 were able to be completely removed by Octolig (R), yet compounds with pKa values of 8.3 and higher resulted in approximately 20-26% removal.