Evaluating Relative Retention of Polar Stationary Phases in Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography

A large number of polar stationary phases with diverse chemistry have been developed for various applications in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). However, column manufacturers employ different testing procedures to evaluate retention of the polar stationary phases. This renders the retention data impossible for comparison and makes it difficult for the users to select the right stationary phase based on retention. We have evaluated 25 polar stationary phases using cytosine and uracil as the model compounds in various mobile phase conditions. These stationary phases show a wide range of retention characteristics for the model compounds. The ranking of the stationary phases does not change drastically with the acetonitrile level in the mobile phase.