The ZIC®-pHILIC Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography column is the ideal choice for separation of polar and hydrophilic compounds as it is orthogonal to reversed phase chromatography (RPLC) columns. For example, compounds such as amino acids, peptides, carbohydrates, plant extracts and various other polar compounds that might have little or no retention in RPLC, generally have strong retention on the ZIC®-pHILIC column.
The columns have a zwitterionic stationary phase on porous polymer particles and the separation is achieved by a hydrophilic interaction mechanism superimposed on weak electrostatic interactions.
Due to the polymeric support particle, the column can be operated in a broad pH range, which can be used to improve the retention and selectivity for many compounds. Also, the detection sensitivity in LC/MS applications might benefit from the use of eluents in the alkaline pH range.