Superficially porous silica microspheres for fast high-performance liquid chromatography of macromolecules

Very fast reversed-phase separations of biomacromolecules are performed using columns made with superficially porous silica microsphere column packings ("Poroshell"). These column packings consist of ultra-pure "biofriendly" silica microspheres composed of solid cores and thin outer shells with uniform pores. The excellent kinetic properties of these new column packings allow stable, high-resolution gradient chromatography of polypeptides, proteins, nucleic acids, DNA fragments, etc. in a fraction of the time required for conventional separations. Contrasted with <2-mu m non-porous particles, Poroshell packings can be used optimally with existing equipments and greater sample loading capacities, while retaining kinetic (and separation speed) advantages over conventional totally porous particles. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.