Selective solid phase extraction of a drug lead compound using molecularly imprinted polymers prepared by the target analogue approach

Molecularly imprinted polymers have been evaluated at the sample clean-up stage in the analysis of a drug lead compound. In order to circumvent quantification problems related to bleeding of the template, a structurally related analogue of the latter was used. This was selected based on criteria related to interaction site location, solubility, availability and stability of the analogue. Selection of suitable polymerisation conditions was then made using a small batch format (ca. 50 mg) and rapid assessment of binding in the equilibrium mode. It was found that the amount of template could be greatly reduced compared to the conventional protocol, requiring only 5 μmol of template per gram of…

Odd-even chain length-dependent order in pH-switchable self-assembled layers.

The reversible self-assembly of a series of bipolar amphiphiles, alpha,omega-bis(3- or 4-amidinophenoxy)alkanes (chain length n = 5-12), on mercaptoalkanoic acid-functionalized gold surfaces (chain length n = 10, 11, 14, 15) has been studied by in-situ ellipsometry, IR reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The layer order, amphiphile orientation, and tendency to form bilayers depends on the position of the amidine substituent, the alkyl chain length of both the amidine amphiphile and the underlying acid self-assembled monolayer (SAM), and whether the amidine alkyl chain contained an even or odd number of methylene groups. Thus, para-substituted bisben…

Vapor-phase testing of the memory-effects in benzene- and toluene-imprinted polymers conditioned at elevated temperature.

Abstract The preparation of polymers imprinted with common aromatic solvents such as benzene and toluene is an under-exploited subject of research. The present study was aimed at the understanding of whether true solvent memory effects can be achieved by molecular imprinting, as well as if they are stable at elevated temperature. A set of copolymers, comprising low and high cross-linking levels, was prepared from four different combinations of functional monomer and cross-linker, namely methacrylic acid (MAA)/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA)/EGDMA, MAA/divinyl benzene (DVB) and MMA/DVB. Each possible combination was prepared separately in benzene, toluene an…

Application of molecularly imprinted polymers in supercritical fluid chromatography

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), for the templates free base racemic propranolol and the L-enantiomer of phenylalanine anilide (L-PA), were investigated as stationary phases in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Large retention differences were observed on the propranolol MIP for both the template molecule and the structural analogue metoprolol compared to that observed on the corresponding blank polymer. Mobile phase composition and solute concentration were found to affect this retention behaviour. The phenylalanine anilide MIP (L-PA MIP) was found to be enantioselective in SFC with stronger retention observed for the template enantiomer. Throughout the study, characteristic …

Analysis of Nicotine and Its Oxidation Products in Nicotine Chewing Gum by a Molecularly Imprinted Solid-Phase Extraction

Chromatographic stationary phases showing exceptional selectivity for nicotine can be prepared by the technique of molecular imprinting. Such phases were used in the search for a rapid cleanup step for nicotine and some of its oxidation products in chewing gum formulations. Thus, using an organic mobile phase, the nicotine analytes from chewing gums dissolved in nonpolar solvent were retained, whereas the nonpolar matrix eluted close to the void peak. A subsequent switch to an acidic mobile phase resulted in elution of the analytes as one sharp peak. Due to weak binding of the less basic oxidation products, other imprinted polymers were tested, and the solid-phase extraction procedure was o…

Imprinted chiral stationary phases in high-performance liquid chromatography

Polymers imprinted with chiral templates offer a new generation of tailor-made chiral stationary phases (CSPs) with predictable selectivities. This review summarizes the present state of the art of molecular imprinting to generate tailor-made CSPs and provides an overview of the main factors involved in the manufacturing process that are crucial to the chromatographic performance of the phases.

Origin of peak asymmetry and the effect of temperature on solute retention in enantiomer separations on imprinted chiral stationary phases

Abstract In enantiomer separations of d - and l -phenylalanine anlilide ( d,l -PA) on l -PA-imprinted chiral stationary phases (CSPs), the use of an aqueous buffer-organic solvent mixture as mobile phase resulted in improved column efficiency compared with what has previously been observed using mobile phases containing acetic acid as modifier. The dependence of the chromatographic parameters on flow-rate and sample load was studied. A strong dependence of the asymmetry factor ( A s ) of the l -form on sample load and a weak dependence on flow-rate indicate that the non-linear adsorption isotherm is the main reason for the broad peaks observed in this system. Depending on the method used fo…

ChemInform Abstract: Imprinted Polymers with Memory for Small Molecules, Proteins, or Crystals

Hierarchical Imprinting Using Crude Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis Products as Templates

The crude products resulting from solid-phase peptide synthesis can be used as epitope templates to generate surface-confined sites for the template and larger peptides containing the template motif. This offers a facile route to robust affinity stationary phases for the chromatographic separation of peptides.

Method for Synthesis and Screening of Large Groups of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

A technique for the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in small scale (∼55 mg) coupled with direct in situ processing and batch rebinding evaluation is reported. The primary assessment is based on quantification by HPLC or UV absorbance measurement of the amount of template released from the polymer in a given solvent. This method allows a rapid screening of the parameters of importance to reach a desired level of binding affinity capacity and selectivity for a given target molecule. This was demonstrated for the triazine herbicide terbutylazine, where an initial screening was performed for the type of functional monomer used in the MIP preparation. Thus among the six functi…

Extraction of clenbuterol from calf urine using a molecularly imprinted polymer followed by quantitation by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection

A method for the extraction of clenbuterol from calf urine samples using a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) has been developed. The aim was that the final extracts from the MIP should allow quantitation of clenbuterol down to 0.5 ng/mL urine using HPLC with UV detection. The MIP was produced using brombuterol as a template and the selectivity of the MIP, for clenbuterol, was tested against a non-imprinted polymer (produced without template) and was found to be high. After loading of 5 mL diluted centrifuged urine, selective binding was established in acetonitrile-acetic acid (98:2). For further elution of interferences, 0.5 M ammonium acetate buffer pH 5 and 70% acetonitrile in water was…

Screening of oxazepine indole enantiomers by means of high performance liquid chromatography with imprinted polymer stationary phase.

Chromatographic enantiomer separations of different oxazepine indole derivatives were performed using a molecularly imprinted polymer. A 5aR,12R,13S-trans-6,6-dimethyl-12,13-dihydro-6H-5a, 1 3-methanoindolo[2,1-b][1,3]naphthoxazepine-12-carboxamide enantiomerderivative was used as a template and the resultant polymer has shown enantiomer recognition for series of template related compounds. The mechanistic description of the chiral discrimination process is scrutinised, comparing the discrimination between the different conformations and substituents of the oxazepine indoles.

Pressure-Induced Binding Sites in Molecularly Imprinted Network Polymers

Molecular imprinting in network polymers under high pressure was studied as a means of inducing selective binding sites for molecular recognition. Network polymers of methacrylic acid and ethylene ...

Application of Imprinted Synthetic Polymers in Binding Assay Development

The first part of the review describes a method for the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers for use in binding assays. The method considers the many factors involved that affect the recognition properties of the materials and describes an approach to screening and optimization of these factors. The second part describes the development of binding assays using such polymers. This includes the use of different labels, the effect of solvent and buffer, the scale of the assay (amount of solid polymer), and how these influence the quality of the assay in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, and speed of analysis.

Polymer- and template-related factors influencing the efficiency in molecularly imprinted solid-phase extractions

Abstract This review identifies the factors of importance in the development of molecularly imprinted polymers for use in solid-phase extractions and summarizes the results obtained to date in the area of bioanalysis, pharmaceutical analysis and environmental analysis.

Imprinted Polymers for Selective Adsorption of Cholesterol from Gastrointestinal Fluids

A series of highly cross-linked terpolymers of methacryloylated cholesterol or bile acid methyl esters, methacrylic acid, and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate were prepared in the presence or absence ...

Influence of template basicity and hydrophobicity on the molecular recognition properties of molecularly imprinted polymers

Abstract Triazine herbicides were used as model templates for a basic study of the molecular recognition process in imprinted polymers. Five structurally related triazine herbicides (atrazine, ametryn, cyanazine, prometryn and terbutylazine) that differ in basicity and hydrophobicity were imprinted. Chromatographic evaluation of the resulting materials in an aqueous-poor mobile phase showed that the selectivity for the template increased with its Bronsted basicity whereas it did not correlate with template hydrophobicity. Thus, the highest and lowest affinity and selectivity for the template was observed using the ametryn-imprinted (p K a =4.1) and the cyanazine-imprinted polymers (p K a =1…

Consecutive Selective Adsorption of Pentamidine and Phosphate Biomolecules on a Self-Assembled Layer:  Reversible Formation of a Chemically Selective Coating

In situ ellipsometric film thickness measurements, FT-IR external reflectance spectroscopy, and potentiometric measurements indicated that the amphiphile pentamidine (PAM), a bisbenzamidine, associated by self-assembly with a preformed self-assembled monolayer of a mercaptoalkanoic acid on gold. The structural properties of PAM and the nature of the substrate were ideal for the formation of a densely packed monolayer. This process was fully reversible, as demonstrated by changing the pH of the surrounding medium. Thus, disassembly−reassembly occurred when the pH was cycled between 8.7 and 3. The bilayer structure, featuring a positively charged amidinium surface, was subsequently used for s…

Target Analogue Imprinted Polymers with Affinity for Folic Acid and Related Compounds

Two approaches to synthesize molecularly imprinted polymers with affinity for folic acid and other substituted pteridines have been compared. In the first approach, the folic acid analogue methotrexate was used as template and functional monomers capable of generating selective binding sites were searched in a miniaturized screening system based on binding assessment in the batch mode. Highest selectivity was seen using 2-vinylpyridine as functional monomer, which was confirmed in the chromatographic mode for a batch synthesized on a gram scale. However, the retentivity and selectivity of this phase were insufficient for anticipated applications. In a second approach, using methacrylic acid…

ChemInform Abstract: Bubble Fractionation of Enantiomers from Solution Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers as Collectors.

Adsorptive bubble separation methods have been used to enrich components from both heterogeneous and homogeneous solutions. These methods are particularly effective for processing large solution volumes at low cost. Previous work demonstrated that chiral, surface-active collectors could be used to enrich enantiomers from homogeneous solution in a foam fractionation process. In a significant extension of this work, the use of highly selective molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and heterogeneous solutions for the bubble flotation of enantiomers was evaluated. The high selectivity and ease of recycling of the MIP make this a potentially powerful approach for process-scale separations from l…

Influence of Thermal Annealing on the Thermodynamic and Mass-Transfer Kinetic Properties of d- and l-Phenylalanine Anilide on Imprinted Polymeric Stationary Phases.

An investigation of the material, chromatographic, thermodynamic, and kinetic properties of thermally treated (i.e., annealed) polymeric stationary phases imprinted with l-phenylalanine anilide (l-PA) was carried out. The imprinting procedure of the solid phase used in this study was the same as for the untreated imprinted stationary phase studied previously. However, after polymerization, these new stationary phases were treated at elevated temperatures (50, 120, 140, and 160 °C) for 24 h. The treatment at 120 and 140 °C led to a larger decrease in the retention of l-PA than that of d-PA. The polymer treated at 160 °C could no longer resolve the d,l-PA racemate. The heat treatments were ac…

Bubble fractionation of enantiomers from solution using molecularly imprinted polymers as collectors.

Adsorptive bubble separation methods have been used to enrich components from both heterogeneous and homogeneous solutions. These methods are particularly effective for processing large solution volumes at low cost. Previous work demonstrated that chiral, surface-active collectors could be used to enrich enantiomers from homogeneous solution in a foam fractionation process. In a significant extension of this work, the use of highly selective molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and heterogeneous solutions for the bubble flotation of enantiomers was evaluated. The high selectivity and ease of recycling of the MIP make this a potentially powerful approach for process-scale separations from l…

Determination of phenytoin in plasma by molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction.

Abstract A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) using phenytoin as template and methacrylamide as the functional monomer was prepared. The selectivity was measured by comparing capacity factors of phenytoin and other structurally related compounds. The polymer was evaluated as a selective sorbent in molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE). Several washing solvents were tested to study their ability to disrupt the non-specific interactions occurring between the sample and the polymer matrix and the role of water in the recognition process was also investigated. It was shown that the key step of successful sample extraction is the right choice of the washing solvent. Plasma sample…

Imprinted Polymers with Memory for Small Molecules, Proteins, or Crystals

Grafting of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Films on Silica Supports Containing Surface-Bound Free Radical Initiators

Silica particles containing surface-bound free radical initiators have been used as supports for the grafting of thin films of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). This technique offers a means of fine-tuning the layer thickness for improved kinetic properties or enhanced capacity in chromatographic or sensor applications. Thus prepared MIPs imprinted with l-phenylalanine anilide, have been characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), elemental analysis, fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), providing evidence concerning the reproducibility in each step and the quantity and quality of the grafted…

Influence of the pH on the behavior of an imprinted polymeric stationary phase--supporting evidence for a binding site model.

The equilibrium isotherms of the two enantiomers of phenylalanine anilide (PA) were measured by conventional frontal analysis at three different pH on a thermally-treated imprinted stationary phase selective for the L enantiomer. The first of these pH (buffer pH=3.0, pH(app)=4.0) is well below the apparent pKa (6.4) of the two solutes, the second (buffer pH=5.8, pH(app)=7.0) slightly below this pKa, and the third (buffer pH=7.0, pH(app)=8.3) well above it. The experimental data were fitted to several isotherm models. The best estimates of the parameters of these models are reported and discussed. The corresponding isotherms are compared with the experimental ones. The contributions of the e…

Evaluation of a Multidimensional Solid-Phase Extraction Platform for Highly Selective On-Line Cleanup and High-Throughput LC−MS Analysis of Triazines in River Water Samples Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

A novel highly selective sample cleanup procedure based on the use of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as solid-phase extraction materials has been evaluated with respect to its applicability and routine use in environmental analysis. The method comprises the combination of a restricted access material (RAM) and a MIP allowing a selective sample preparation to be achieved in the online mode. This combination is called the size-selective sample separation and solvent switch (six-SPE). The RAM column combines size exclusion and adsorption chromatography, reducing the concentration of matrix molecules by a cutoff of 15 kDa. The MIP column selectively retains the triazine analytes whereas …

Switchable assembly of stable, ordered molecular layers

Bisamidines can be assembled on self-assembled monolayers of mercaptoalkanoic acids on gold to form stable and ordered but pH-switchable layers (see diagram). At basic pH the layers are stable and charge selective towards charged surfactants and plasma proteins. The system can potentially be used to reversibly introduce new surface properties for given applications that use one single substrate.

Surface initiated molecularly imprinted polymer films: a new approach in chiral capillary electrochromatography

A new generation of imprinted composite particles was tested as capillary electrochromatography stationary phase. Silica particles characterised by a well defined particle size (10 µm diameter), shape and pore system (1000 A) were modified with an azoinitiator and subsequently used to graft molecularly imprinted polymers targeted to bind L-phenylalanine anilide. Fused silica capillaries were packed over a length corresponding to 8 cm, using a pneumatic amplification pump, and the stationary phase thus obtained was tested with respect to its electrochromatographic performance. The electroendosmotic flow mobility was evaluated with respect to both the different content of polymer on the silic…

Nanocomposites by Electrostatic Interactions:  1. Impact of Sublayer Quality on the Organization of Functionalized Nanoparticles on Charged Self-Assembled Layers

Bis-benzamidines were studied as linkers for the formation of gold nanoparticle assemblies on planar gold surfaces modified with ω-mercaptohexadecanoic acid. In situ ellipsometry, external reflecti...

Affinity Distributions of a Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Calculated Numerically by the Expectation-Maximization Method

Affinity distributions are calculated from adsorption isotherm data obtained for the enantiomers of L- and D-phenylalanine anilide (PA) on native and thermally annealed polymers molecularly imprinted with L-PA. The calculation is obtained with an iterative algorithm called expectation-maximization that does not require prior fit of the data to an isotherm model before inversion and thus yields a distribution indicative of the data only. The results show bimodal distributions, suggestive of a two-site model describing relatively selective and nonselective adsorption modes of the L-enantiomer and a corresponding unimodal/nonselective adsorption mode for the D-enantiomer. The nonselective adso…

Studies on the Process of Formation, Nature and Stability of Binding Sites in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

AbstractIn Molecular Imprinting the nature of the templated binding sites and the mechanism of their formation are still poorly understood. For this reason our groups are carrying out fundamental studies concerning known imprinting protocols, with the primary aim of shedding light on the role of the template in the different steps of the polymerisation, from the formation of primary chains to the build-up of the porous structure. In this paper we report our initial results concerning copolymers of methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) and their formation in presence or absence of the templates 9-ethyladenine, ametryn or terbutylazine. Monitoring the monomer disappe…

Enantiomer Separations Using Designed Imprinted Chiral Phases

Selective trace enrichment of chlorotriazine pesticides from natural waters and sediment samples using terbuthylazine molecularly imprinted polymers

Two molecularly imprinted polymers were synthesized using either dichloromethane or toluene as the porogen and terbuthylazine as the template and were used as solid-phase extraction cartridges for the enrichment of six chlorotriazines (deisopropylatrazine, deethylatrazine, simazine, atrazine, propazine, and terbuthylazine) in natural water and sediment samples. The extracted samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography/diode array detection (LC/DAD). Several washing solvents, as well as different volumes, were tested for their ability to remove the matrix components nonspecifically adsorbed on the sorbents. This cleanup step was shown to be of prime importance to the successful extraction…

Molecularly imprinted composite materials via iniferter-modified supports

Wide pore silica (DP = 100 nm) and gel-type or macroporous (12% nominal crosslinking density) Merrifield resins were modified with iniferter groups for grafting of crosslinked molecularly imprinted or non-imprinted polymer layers through quasi-living polymerisation. Prior to iniferter coupling, the silica supports were premodified by silanisation with p-(chloromethyl)phenyl trimethoxysilane. The iniferter groups were then introduced by reacting the resin-bound chloromethyl groups with sodium N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate. It was shown that the coupling yield, measured as the conversion of the chloromethyl groups, could be varied between 5 and 85% through kinetic control, with the fastest conve…

Study of the thermodynamics and mass transfer kinetics of two enantiomers on a polymeric imprinted stationary phase

The adsorption isotherms of d- and l-phenylalanine anilide (PA) on an l-phenylalanine anilide imprinted stationary phase have been determined using staircase frontal analysis. An aqueous buffer–organic solvent mixture has been used as mobile phase. The measurements were done at temperatures of 40, 50, 60 and 70°C for sample concentrations ranging between 5·10−4 to 1 g/l. It was found that the adsorption data fit well to both the Freundlich and the Bi-Langmuir isotherm models. Examination of the best values of the numerical coefficients of the Bi-Langmuir model shows that the site class representing the binding sites with the highest binding energy exhibits a very low saturation capacity for…

Enantioselective Ester Hydrolysis Catalyzed by Imprinted Polymers. 2,

Highly cross-linked network polymers prepared by molecular imprinting catalyzed enantioselectively the hydrolysis of N-tert-butoxycarbonyl phenylalanine-p-nitrophenyl ester (BOCPheONP). The templates were designed to allow incorporation of the key catalytic elements, found in the proteolytic enzyme chymotrypsin, into the polymer active sites. Three model systems were evaluated. These were constructed from a chiral phosphonate analogue of phenylalanine (series A, C) or L-phenylalanine (series B) attached by a labile ester linkage to an imidazole-containing vinyl monomer. Free radical copolymerization of the template with methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) gave a…

Layer-by-Layer Grafting of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers via Iniferter Modified Supports

Development of a semiautomated procedure for the synthesis and evaluation of molecularly imprinted polymers applied to the search for functional monomers for phenytoin and nifedipine

Abstract A previously described scaled-down version of the established monolith procedure, where molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are prepared on the bottom surface of chromatographic vials [Anal. Chem. 71 (1999) 2092] has been here further optimised with respect to its full automation. The protocol results in savings of time and reagents compared to the monolith procedure, allowing ca. 60 polymers (∼50 mg each) to be synthesised in parallel. Both blank and imprinted polymers are then evaluated in situ by equilibrium batch rebinding tests. Each step in the synthesis and evaluation was considered with the aim of achieving an automated method with wide applicability with regards to templ…

Evaluation of methods aimed at complete removal of template from molecularly imprinted polymers

Polymers imprinted with clenbuterol were used to study the influence of various post-polymerization treatments [e.g., thermal annealing, microwave assisted extraction (MAE), Soxhlet extraction and supercritical fluid template desorption] on the bleeding of residual template. The aim of the study was to reduce the bleeding to levels that would allow the use of the materials as affinity phases for extraction of clenbuterol from bovine urine at concentrations below 1 ng ml−1. After treatment, the clenbuterol imprinted polymers were packed into solid-phase extraction columns and the bleeding was estimated by quantifying the amount of template released in 10 ml of methanol–acetic acid (9 + 1 v/v…

Effect of solvents on the selectivity of terbutylazine imprinted polymer sorbents used in solid-phase extraction

A solid-phase extraction sample preparation method using a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) selective for the triazine type pesticide terbutylazine has been developed. The method involves preconcentration from large volumes of water samples on a C18 disk coupled to selective clean-up on the MIP. The method has been optimised by studying the recovery and retention of terbutylazine and some other structurally related triazine derivates as a function of the selective washing solvent used. The effect of the water content of the selective washing solvent was also investigated on the recovery of the MIP. River water samples were analysed with the coupled technique, and efficient clean-up of th…

Noncovalent molecular imprinting: antibody-like molecular recognition in polymeric network materials

Abstract Molecular imprinting techniques allow the preparation of polymeric receptors which bind small molecules with affinities and selectivities of the same order as those observed in the binding of antigens by antibodies. The molecular imprinting technology has now reached a stage where the commercial use of imprinted materials is being assessed, notably for separations requiring strong and selective binding of small molecules. This development is driven by the potential advantages of polymeric receptors over biological in terms of stability, capacity, cost and ease of preparation. In this short review the state of the art of noncovalent imprinting is summarised indicating a few areas in…

Water-compatible molecularly imprinted polymers obtained via high-throughput synthesis and experimental design.

A technique allowing high-throughput synthesis and evaluation of molecularly imprinted polymer sorbents at a reduced scale (mini-MIPs) was developed and used for the optimization of MIPs for use in pure aqueous environments. The technique incorporated a 4-port liquid-handling robot for the rapid dispensing of monomers, templates, solvents and initiator into the reaction vessels of a 96-well plate. A library of 80 polymers, each ca. 50 mg, could thus be prepared in 24 h. The MIP rebinding capacity and selectivity could be rapidly assessed in the batch mode by quantifying nonbound fractions in parallel using a UV monochromator plate reader. This allowed a complete evaluation of the binding ch…

Rapid method for analysis of nicotine and nicotine-related substances in chewing gum formulations

Abstract Based on environmental requirements and demands for a high throughput a rapid method for the analysis of nicotine and nicotine-related substances in chewing gum formulations was developed. The method is based on sample preparation through liquid–liquid extraction followed by reversed-phase HPLC using gradient elution. It allowed up to nine analytes to be determined within 15 min, including the sample preparation, and was considered as accurate and robust.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) against uracils: Functional monomer design, monomer-template interactions in solution and MIP performance in chromatography

AbstractThe interaction of N1-substituted uracils (cyclohexyl (1) and benzyl (2)) with three polymerisable recognition elements, the novel monomers 9-(3/4-vinylbenzyl)adenine (3) and 2,6-diamino-9-(3/4-vinylbenzyl)purine (4) and the previously synthesised monomer 2,6-bis(acrylamido)pyridine (5), has been studied via1H NMR in deuterio-chloroform solution. MIPs against (2) have been prepared using each of the monomers and tested in the chromatographic mode. The effect of the number and type of hydrogen bonds formed between the templates and the functional monomers is reflected in the values of the apparent association constants obtained from the solution study and by the performance of the su…