Replacement Options for Agilent Metacarb 87P (Pb²⁺) for Sugar and Sugar Alcohol Analysis

Record: 777

Category: Column Selection
Product: SP0810
Sample: sugars

Question
We use an Agilent Metacarb 87P (Pb²⁺) column with water as the mobile phase and RI detection to separate sugars and sugar alcohols including fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, glycerol, erythritol, maltitol, lactitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol.
Can Shodex provide a comparable column for this analysis?

Answer
Shodex does not produce a direct equivalent to the Agilent Metacarb 87P, but the closest option is the SUGAR SP0810(Pb²⁺ form).
Both are lead-type ligand-exchange columns designed for neutral sugars and sugar alcohols using water-only eluent with refractive index detection.

The SP0810 provides very similar retention trends and selectivity for most mono- and disaccharides, as well as polyols, but complete baseline separation of sucrose, maltose, and lactose may not be achievable in a single run.

If these disaccharides must be resolved, consider:

• Using two SP0810 columns in series for higher efficiency, or
• Switching to a Ca²⁺-type column (SUGAR SC1011), which provides stronger separation for disaccharides but may shorten retention for sugar alcohols.

Recommended resources:

• Saccharides and Sugar Alcohols – SUGAR SP0810
• Comparison of Columns with Different Counter Ions
• Guidelines for Shodex Column Selection by Combination of Saccharides

Additional Comments

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