Innovative Chromatography Columns
New HPLC columns are introduced every year. Most of them are simple variations of previously produced columns, and in majority of the cases capitalize and explore a single interaction – either reversed-phase or HILIC. These columns are often designed by people who do not have extensive experience dealing with problems of separations, nor understand what needs to be done on the surface of support. We at HELIX Chromatography have designed and commercialized dozens of stationary phases since 2002, and have come to the realization that something else needs to be done on stationary phase design. We believe that there are several requirements for good stationary phase design:
- Reproducibility of surface modification process
- Chemical stability of stationary phase and solid support
- Mechanical stability of solid support at high back pressures and during packing processes
- Uniformity of particles and uniformity of stationary support bed
- Reproducibility of packing process
- Optimized ligand density on the surface of support
- Optimized surface area of solid support
- Narrow particle distribution for supporting material
- Well defined interaction on the surface
- Single ligand design to prevent variability of analysis
We have developed several innovative columns, each employing multi-mode interaction. From dual mode to quaternary mode, we have tried to incorporate surface chemistry to improve selectivity and robustness of separation. Our tri-modal and quaternary-modal columns are the first that resist esterification of carboxylic groups on the surface like you see in other mixed-mode columns. Never has separation of multiple compounds been easier than it is now. Once you understand how multiple interactions on our columns work, you will become very efficient in developing new methods and merging several methods into a single separation approach – saving time and money on method development and columns. We have enhanced secondary, tertiary and quaternary interactions to make them controllable. You are now in total control of your separation tasks.
