High-performance liquid chromatography of amino acids, peptides and proteins

Abstract Methods for the manipulation of peptide retention and selectivities on hydrocarbonaceous microparticulate silicas are discussed. In particular the influence of the mobile phase water content, ionic strength and pairing ions on the retention behaviour of peptides and polypeptides on octadecylsilicas has been examined. Under these changing elution conditions with reversed-phase systems, peptide retention can be rationalised in terms of solvophobic theory. This treatment provides a valuable predictive approach for evaluating the distribution equilibria involved in the interaction of peptidic solutes with the mobile and stationary phases.