What is the difference between hydrophobic interaction chromatography and reversed phase chromatography?
HIC and RPC are closely related techniques since both are based upon interactions between hydrophobic patches on the surface of biomolecules and the hydrophobic surfaces of a chromatography medium. However, in practice, the techniques are very different. The surface of an RPC medium is usually more hydrophobic than that of a HIC medium. This leads to stronger interactions that, for successful elution, must be reversed using non-polar, organic solvents such as acetonitrile or methanol. HIC media offer an alternative way of exploiting the hydrophobic properties of biomolecules by working in a more polar and less denaturing environment.
