Extend Your Application Reach with Achiral and Chiral SFC Columns

Importance of the Topic

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) offers high-efficiency separations with lower solvent usage and reduced analysis time, aligning with green chemistry principles and broadening analytical capabilities across industries.

Objectives and Study Overview

This article presents Agilent InfinityLab SFC solutions, focusing on achiral and chiral columns to expand application reach. It reviews column chemistries, method development strategies, and highlights performance improvements in selectivity, speed, and robustness across diverse sample types.

Methodology

SFC methods employ carbon dioxide-based mobile phases modified with alcohols and additives to tune polarity and retention. Automated screening of up to 32 columns and 15 solvents facilitates rapid method optimization. Agilent FEED injection technology ensures reproducible injections from 0.1 to 90 µL without sample loop changes, minimizes diluent effects, and protects columns from pressure spikes.

Used Instrumentation

• Agilent 1260 Infinity II SFC System with automated column screening and FEED injection technology.
• Agilent InfinityLab Poroshell 120 columns (HILIC, HILIC-Z, HILIC-OH5, EC-CN) and Poroshell 120 Chiral series (Chiral-T, Chiral-V, Chiral-CF, Chiral-CD).
• Agilent ZORBAX columns (Rx-SIL, HILIC Plus, Bonus-RP, NH2, SB-CN) for high-volume sample capacity and alternative selectivity.
• Compatibility with Agilent mass spectrometers (SFC-QTOF, SFC-QQQ) for advanced detection.

Main Results and Discussion

Poroshell 120 HILIC columns demonstrated superior peak shape and resolution at reduced backpressures (≤600 bar), effectively separating a panel of polar analytes in under 6 minutes. ZORBAX columns provided robust performance for high-capacity analyses of environmental contaminants and pharmaceutical molecules. Chiral Poroshell 120 phases achieved ultrafast enantiomeric separations of carprofen and related compounds in under 7 minutes, highlighting the system’s screening efficiency.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Significant reduction in solvent consumption and operational costs through CO2-based mobile phases.
• High separation efficiency across a broad polarity range, from inorganic ions and small organics to peptides and proteins.
• Flexible method development enabled by comprehensive column and solvent screening workflows.
• Key applications in environmental monitoring, pharmaceutical analysis, food quality control, and doping control.

Future Trends and Opportunities

Advances in SFC–MS integration and AI-driven method scouting will deepen insights into complex matrices. Development of new stationary phases and greener modifiers will enhance sustainability. Broader adoption in biopharmaceutical, petrochemical, and clinical applications is expected as software and hardware innovations continue to evolve.

Conclusion

Agilent InfinityLab SFC solutions, combining Poroshell and ZORBAX columns with automated screening and FEED injection technology, deliver a robust workflow for efficient achiral and chiral separations. The platform’s MS compatibility extends analytical reach while optimizing speed, selectivity, and sustainability.

Reference

• Desfontaine V. et al. Journal of Chromatography A 1562 (2018) 96–107.
• Perrenoud A.G.-G. et al. Journal of Chromatography A 1360 (2014) 275–287.