High pH Compatible Column Options for Sugar Analysis

Record: 648

Category: Column Selection
Product: NH2P-50 4E or VG-50 4E
Sample: Sugars

Question

A customer is looking for a column that can be operated at high pH (around pH 10) for the analysis of sugars. They have previously used a Hypercarb (porous graphitic carbon) column and are exploring whether alternative columns could be used, including non-silica options with improved durability under basic conditions. Are there Shodex columns suitable for this application?

Answer

For sugar analysis under basic conditions (around pH 10), polymer-based columns are generally preferred, as conventional silica-based reversed-phase columns often show reduced lifetime at elevated pH.

Shodex NH2P-50 4E is a suitable option for this type of application. NH2P-50 4E is a polymer-based amino HILIC column with a wide usable pH range (pH 2–13), making it compatible with alkaline mobile phases. Although NH2P-50 4E operates in HILIC mode rather than reversed phase, it is commonly used for sugar analysis with acetonitrile–water mobile phases, which are operationally similar to reversed-phase methods and provide strong retention and selectivity for saccharides.

For applications specifically involving reducing sugars, Shodex VG-50 4E may also be considered. VG-50 4E is a polymer-based HILIC column designed to provide stable retention and good recovery of reducing sugars, with compatibility for both RI and MS detection.

Because selectivity in HILIC strongly depends on the type of saccharides present, a more tailored recommendation can be provided if the customer can share the specific sugars they are analyzing (e.g., monosaccharides vs disaccharides, reducing vs non-reducing sugars). For a more tailored column recommendation, please contact Shodex Technical Support at support@shodexhplc.com and include details on the specific sugars being analyzed, detection method, and mobile-phase conditions.

Recommended Applications:

• Elution Volume of Saccharides (Selectable Analytes)
  Shows relative retention behavior of common saccharides under HILIC conditions, useful for assessing suitability of NH2P-series columns.
• Elution Volume of Saccharides (VG-50 4E)
  Demonstrates retention and elution order of saccharides on VG-50 4E, with emphasis on performance for reducing sugars.

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