The highly efficient separation of product mixtures in
chemical
synthesis is increasingly crucial for realizing sustainable chemical
processes. Here, we report that large-volume monolithic silica with
a well-defined cocontinuous porous structure brings significant benefits
to liquid chromatography, satisfying both the enhanced efficiency
and remarkable reduction of chromatographic wastes of solvent and
solid separation media. Reusability of the monolithic silica column
has been demonstrated by regeneration with an acid-flow washing, in
which the cocontinuous porous structure of monolithic silica is well
retained even in aqua regia in the regeneration process. The resolution
of separation is comparable to preparative high-performance liquid
chromatography, and the extremely low column back-pressure is suitable
for open and flash columns. Moreover, a good correlation of the retention
with conventional thin-layer chromatography and the high loading capacity
up to 10 wt % are advantageous in overloading purification. Improved
productivity with the large-volume monolithic silica has been confirmed
in the practical purification of a low-solubility compound, 9-[4-(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)phenyl]-N,N,N′,N′-tetraphenyl-9H-carbazole-3,6-diamine
(DACT-II), for a highly efficient organic light-emitting diode. Reduction
of solvent and solid consumption by 60 and 90%, respectively, with
increased purities in each step of the total synthesis of DACT-II,
has been demonstrated in comparison with purification with standard
silica particles.