What is the biggest difference between ordinary HPLC silica columns and Silica-C ?
[top] The biggest difference is the surface and how it will benefit you. The dominance of silicon hydride (Si-H) groups instead of the Silanol Group (Si-OH) common to all irregular, type A & B silica based previous phases changes the general character of the column; solvents will adsorb and desorb differently. Your separations may or may not be similar when upgrading from ordinary silica to Silica-C as this will often depend on the chromatographic conditions you chose to use with the columns. You may want to develop method conditions that utilize the full power of the Silica-C columns. The greatest benefit to Silica-C is that when using it for normal phase, you do not need to control the moisture of your mobile phase solvents to control retention times. Also, since the Silica-C column does not have a strong association with water, these columns last longer and equilibrate easier. In general, these columns are more robust, more versatile (can be used for Aqueous Normal Phase) and more c
