HPLC Ion Exclusion Column

Ion exclusion chromatography is an alternative to ion exchange  chromatography in which ionized samples are excluded from the pores of the support and elute first, while the weakly ionized and nonionic compounds elute later. Mixtures of weak acids, like those in fruits and milk products, are frequently not very well separated by pure ion-exchange methods, nor in the reversed-phase mode.

Hamilton PRP-X300 columns offer an easy, rapid way to separate closely related alcohols  and organic acids. The sulfonated poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) support separates samples via a mixed mode mechanism. Separation on the PRP-X300 is accomplished by three modes:

1. Hydrogen Bonding—The attraction and retention of sample compounds by the negatively charged sulfonate group.
2. Reversed-Phase—The interaction and retention of the sample compounds by the non-polar polymeric support.
3. Ion Exclusion—The process in which ionized samples are excluded from the pores of the support and elute first, while the weakly ionized and nonionic compounds elute later.

Examples of analytes that can be separated on PRP-X300 columns:

• Acetic acid
• Acrylamide
• Citric acid
• Oxalacetic acid
• Ethanol
• Propano