Dr. Jason W. Coym

Dr. Jason W. Coym

Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry

Education

  • B.S. University of Texas, Chemistry, 1998
  • Ph.D. Florida State University, Chemistry, 2004
  • Post Doctoral Scholarship, University of Arizona, Chemistry, 2004-2005

Research

Research in the Coym lab is focused on understanding the fundamental processes of reversed-phase, high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC).  RP-HPLC is the method of choice for the separation of non-volatile analytes. This technology is heavily employed in the pharmaceutical industry, in environmental analysis, in forensics, and in biochemical analysis (proteomics/metabolomics).  Although RPLC is known to work well for the separation of non-volatile analytes, the mechanism responsible for retention and separation in RP-HPLC is still the subject of debate.

In the HPLC experiment, a mixture containing several analytes is injected into a column.  The column is packed with micron-size, surface-derivatized silica particles - these are known as the stationary phase.  The solute mixture is pushed through the column by a solvent, known as the mobile phase. In reversed-phase HPLC, the mobile phase is polar, typically a mixture of water and a polar organic solvent like methanol or acetonitrile. The stationary phase is nonpolar - typically, alkyl ligands are used to derivatize the surface of the silica particles. As solutes travel through the column, different solutes “stick” to the stationary phase to different extents. As a result, some solutes spend more time in the column than others.  It is this differential migration that causes separation in HPLC.

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Publications & Collaborations

  • Knight, C. C, Mockel, W. D., Coym J. W., Forbes, D. C., & Battiste, D. R. (2012) Chalcographus Beetle Lure:  Extraction and Quantitative Analysis [Abstract].  19th Annual University of South Alabama Research Forum, Mobile, AL, United States, March 27-30, 2012.

  • Coym, J. W., Armstrong, A. S., & Charlton, S. A. (2012).  The use of methyl-b-cyclodextrin as a mobile phase additive for the reversed phase chromatography of pharmaceutically-relevant compounds.  [Abstract]. Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Orlando, FL, United States, March 12-16, 2170-1.

  • Hashmi, O. I. & Coym, J. W. (2012) Solvent strength linearity and pure-water retention estimation using “bio-inspired” reversed-phase stationary phases.  [Abstract]. Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Orlando, FL, United States, March 12-16, 875-20.

  • Charlton, S. A. & Coym, J. W. (2012) The use of methyl-b-cyclodextrin to improve the solubility of cholesterol in HPLC mobile phases. [Abstract].

  • Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Orlando, FL, United States, March 12-16, 875-19.

  • Ogden, P. B., Coym, J. W. (2011).  Retention mechanism of a cholesterol-coated C18 stationary phase: van’t Hoff and Linear Solvation Energy Relationships (LSER) approaches.  Journal of Chromatography A, 1218, 2936-2943.