In the laboratory glass columns are favoured by many chromatographers because of their inertness towards proteins. Also the possibility to clean the packed columns with highly alkaline caustic soda solutions, a widely-used purification step, is a good argument for glass columns.

While the suitability of glass columns for biochromatography is well-known, the use in NP- or RP-chromatography with silica based stationary phases is rarely considered. The main reason maybe the concern that the high back pressure of 15μm or smaller silica particles may exceed the specifications of the column. However glass columns that withstand high back pressures from 30 (for 50mm i.d) up to 80bar (for 5mm i.d.) are available. These allow most demanding separations with long silica chromatographic beds or high flow rates for fast elution.

The figure shows the separation of a standard sample, using different flow rates, to illustrate the enormous time saving of 75% that is made possible by these greater pressure ratings.

For further information please contact YMC Europe GmbH, Dr. Wolfgang Schräder, Phone: +49 (0)2064 427-290, Fax: +49 (0)2064 427-222, or visit www.ymc.de