Michael F. Burke

Education and Appointments

• B.S. 1960, Regis College
  
• Ph.D. 1965, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
  

Research Summary

Research in this group includes the chemical modification ("tailoring") of solid surfaces with the major goal being to obtain a better understanding of the chemical and physical parameters responsible for the selectivity of molecular interactions at either liquid-solid or gas-solid interfaces. Much of the modification of solids is directed toward the development of adsorbents which will simultaneously provide both selectivity and efficiency in high performance liquid chromatography. Chemical systems of interest for separations problems range from closely related species such as the diastereomers of peptides to chemical glass separations of organic pollutants from environmental samples. Methods for the digital simulation of chromatographic processes are also being developed as means of providing a better understanding of the chemical and physical nature of the heterogeneous interface between the mobile and stationary phases. The use of computer-controlled instrumentation to develop experimental techniques in which the computer is an integral part of the experiment rather than simply a means of automating a conventional experiment is also of interest. This approach to chromatography is exemplified in our work in frequency-modulated correlation chromatography. In this type of multiple injection chromatography, the computer provides not only a unique input profile but also allows the application of signal processing techniques to the resulting signal. The chromatographic studies carried out in this group are complemented by the use of spectral techniques such as high field FT-NMR and FT-IR as means of determining the nature of organic moieties bonded to solid surfaces. The development of field flow fractionation systems and their use for the separation and characterization of micron sized particles has been a recent innovation and will be an area of strong interest.

Selected Publications

• S. Frazer and M.F. Burke, "Extraction of Nonstationary Information from Correlation Noise," Anal. Chim. Acta 177, 15 (1985).

• T.C. Schunk and M.F. Burke, "Selectivity at the Solid-Liquid Interface on Bonded Sorbents," Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem. 25, 81-103 (1986).

• R.D. Golding, A.J. Barry and M.F. Burke, "Synthesis of Three Alkyldihydrochlorosilanes and Their Application in Studies of Steric Factors in the Surface Deactivation of Porous Silica," Journal of Chromatography 384, 105 (1987).

• M.E. Raisglid and M.F. Burke, "Fundamentals of Solid Phase Extraction and its Application to Environmental Analyses," in Adsorption and its Applications in Industry and Environmental Protection, Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis, Vol. 120, A. Dabrowski (Editor), 1999.

• J. Gailer, S. Madden, M.F. Burke, M.B. Denton and H.V. Aposhian, "On-Line Arsenic, Selenium and Sulfur-Specific Detection of the Seleno-bis(S-Glutathionyl)arsinium Ion by ICP-AES after Micellar Size-Exclusion Chromatography," Journal of Chromatography A, submitted.

• R.F. Piccoli, R.M. McCullough and M.F. Burke, " Synthesis and Characterization of a Long Chain Ion Exchange Sorbent," Journal of Chromatography A, submitted.

• R.F. Piccoli, K. Christensen and M. F. Burke, "Characterization of Alkyl Modified Solid Phase Extraction Sorbents Part I: Spectroscopic Investigation," Journal of Chromatography A, submitted.

• R.F. Piccoli and M.F. Burke, "Characterization of Alkyl Modified Solid Phase Extraction Sorbents Part II: Chromatographic Investigation," Journal of Chromatography A, submitted.