Chromatography Forum

Hi there. I intended to run a drug samples using the thermo hypersil gold column but the reference that I have in hand recommended the phenomenex synergi RP polar column.

Is it possible for me to use the gold column rather than the synergi column. Is there any discrepancies? The synergi column is used for applications thyat involves extreme retention for polar and aromatic compounds.

Please advise.

I intend to run a gradient system that includes water/ACN with formic acid and ammonium acetate and my sample matrice is methanol.

Reversed-phase stationary phases can be compared with the hydrophobic-subtraction model, see:
Snyder, Dolan & Carr, J. Chromatogr. A 1060 (2004) 77-115;
LC GC Europe 18 (2005) 196 or LC GC North America 22 (2004) 1146.
The "distance" Fs of two phases can be calculated by an equation given in both of these papers. The J. Chr. paper also gives long tables of phase data. By using them I calculated a "distance" of Fs = 20 between Thermo Hypersil Gold and Phenomenex Synergi Polar RP when used with an acidic mobile phase.
Very similar phases have Fs = 3 or less. Very different phases have Fs = 50 or more. In your case an Fs of 20 means that the two phases are rather different and that you cannot use the Synergi Polar RP as a substitute for Hypersil Gold and vice versa.
Veronika R. Meyer

I think it is simple (and I hate my remark because Phenomenex is a competitor of my company):

If you change the packing, you will get different results. You got a method for your problem on the Phenomenex column. If you buy this column for US$400 or so, you have a method. Think about what it will cost you to redevelop the method on the column that you have in your hand!

On the other hand, if the method on the Phenomenex column does NOT do exactly what you want it to do, you need to restart method development from scratch, and you need to think about what you want to accomplish in your method. I will advise you, if you contact me.