Characteristics of a new HPLC column packed with octadecyl-bonded polymer gel

The chromatographic efficiency and stability of a new octadecyl-bonded polymer (ODP) gel, developed for reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) by substitution of stearate ester groups for the hydroxyl groups of vinyl alcohol copolymer particles, were investigated and compared with those of conventional gels. The efficiency of the column packed with the ODP gel was practically unaffected by repeated alternating passages of distilled water and acetonitrile, apparently because the gel volume was affected similarly by both solvents. Like conventional ODS columns, the ODP column demonstrated a close correlation between log k’ (capacity factor) and carbon atom number in alkyl alcohols in accordance with Martin’s rule and H ∼ 4 dp, thus indicating a high column efficiency for these alcohols. The capacity factor of the ODP column for pyridine with acidic eluent was smaller than that of ODS columns, and the pyridine peak was sharp and symmetrical.