Metal-oxide based Columns

Home
Chromatography
Filling Materials
Metal-oxide based Columns

Metal oxides as packing materials in HPLC columns open up innovative avenues in chromatographic separation science by offering unique selectivities and stabilities that cannot always be achieved with traditional silica or polymer-based columns. The most commonly used metal oxides include zirconia (ZrO₂), alumina and titania (TiO₂), which are characterised by their exceptional mechanical strength and chemical stability, especially at high pH and in strong solvents.

The robust physical properties of metal oxides also enable longer column life and high reproducibility of separations, even under demanding conditions. This makes them a valuable option for demanding analytical tasks where conventional materials may not be able to provide the required performance.

Basics

What is special about metal oxide-based HPLC columns?

Metal oxide-based HPLC columns exhibit unique selectivities and retention properties due to their electronic nature. For example, the separation of basic drugs on polymer-coated zirconium oxide or titanium oxide phases occurs through synergistic interactions. The reversed-phase properties of the polymer coating play a role here, as do the ionic interactions of the Lewis acidic metal oxide surface with the analytes.

What are the advantages of metal oxide-based HPLC columns?

Very high chemical stability - stable over almost the entire pH range
Exceptional mechanical stability
Highly thermally inert - can be used up to approx. 150 to 200 °C with suitable hardware
Zirconium oxide and titanium oxide-based phases show higher stability compared to each other than aluminium oxide-based stationary phases
No risk of shrinkage or swelling when changing temperature, ionic strength or solvent

1. Supelco

Supelco™ offers the Discovery^® Zirconia series, a range of zirconium oxide-based HPLC columns.

Discovery^®Zr-PS: Separation of hydrophobic compounds and amines

Discovery^®Zr-PBD: Retention behaviour similar to C₁₈-modified silica gel

Discovery^®Zr-Carbon: Separation of geometric isomers and diastereomers

Discovery^®Zr-CarbonC18: For universal use

Separation of acids, bases and neutrals
Completely different selectivity compared to C₁₈ silica gel

Discovery^® Zr-SAX:

Separation of biomolecules, e.g. water-soluble vitamins, (oligo)nucleotides, nucleosides, amino acids or peptides
Mixed mode separations with hydrophobic, Lewis acid - Lewis base and ion exchange interactions.

Specification	Discovery^® Zr-PS	Discovery^® Zr-PBD	Discovery^® Zr-Carbon	Discovery^® Zr-CarbonC18	Discovery^® Zr-SAX
USP code		L49
Phase	Cross-linked polystyrene	Cross-linked polybutadiene	Graphitic carbon	C18 modified carbon	Polyethyleneimine
Endcapping	No	No	No	No
Particle base	Zirconium oxide	Zirconium oxide	Zirconium oxide	Zirconium oxide	Zirconium oxide
Particle shape	Spherical	Spherical	Spherical	Spherical	Spherical
Particle size	3 & 5 µm	3 & 5 µm	3 & 5 µm	3 & 5 µm	3 µm
Pore size	300 Å	300 Å	300 Å	300 Å	300 Å
Spec. surface area	30 m2/g	30 m2/g	30 m2/g	30 m2/g	30 m2/g
Packing density	2.21 g/mL	2.21 g/mL	2.21 g/mL	2.21 g/mL	N/A
Carbon content	2%	2%	1%	3%	25%
Loading	N/A	N/A	N/A	2.8 µmol/m2	N/A
pH range	1 to 13	1 to 13	1 to 14	1 to 14	1 to 12
Temperature range	≤ 100 °C[1]	≤ 100 °C[1]	≤ 100 °C[2]	≤ 100 °C[2]	≤ 80 °C

[1] Special hardware is required for use between 100 °C and 150 °C, [2] Special hardware is required for use between 100 °C and 200 °C

2. Merck

Merck™ is the manufacturer of Aluspher^® 100 RP-select B, which is based on aluminium oxide.

Developed for the separation of acids, bases and neutrals.

3. GL Sciences

GL-Sciences™ is the manufacturer of Titansphere^® TiO, a titanium oxide (TiO₂) based stationary phase

The spherical, unmodified TiO₂ particles have a very smooth surface and ideal physical properties for chromatography. Titansphere^® TiO phases have exceptional selectivity and strong retention properties for phosphorylated substances, making them particularly suitable for the purification of phosphopeptides and phosphorylated saccharides.

Description	Properties
Particle size	5 µm
Particle shape	Spherical
Specific surface area	170 m2/g
Pore size	100 Å
Max. Max. pressure	19.8 MPa
pH range	2 to 12

MZ-Analysentechnik GmbH gives you access to all metal oxide-based HPLC columns from the manufacturers Supelco™, Merck™ and GL-Sciences™. On the individual manufacturer pages you will find the entire manufacturer range with product filters for easy selection of products according to your requirements. We would be happy to provide you with a customised offer for your requirements!

Contact Us

First Name*

Last Name*

Company*

Email*

Telephone

Message*

I have taken note of the Privacy Policy and agree that the data I have provided will be collected and stored electronically. My data will only be used strictly for the purpose of processing and responding to my request.

Fields marked with * must be filled in