Best column(s) for uPLC system on herbal profiling?

[HaruYap]

Hi there. I am looking for the best column or columns to be used for an uPLC system (WATERS) for the determination and analysis of herbal compounds ie metabolite profiling.

Is there any recommendations?

Herbal plants such as :

1) Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)
2) Kacip Fatimah (Labisia Pumila)
3) Cinnamon

Do advise me. Thanks a lot.

[Uwe Neue]

I would think that you will have rather complex profiles to deal with. Under those circumstances, it is difficult to predict, which column will work better for you. There are two columns with significantly different surface chemistry that are worth looking at. One is the standard C18 ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18, and the other is the one with the embedded polar group, ACQUITY UPLC BEH Shield RP18.

[HaruYap]

Thanks. Since uPLC column is limited and I would like to take a look at the non polar compounds as well, can I used normal HPLC columns to be used in uPLC system?

I got to know that it is fine to use HPLC columns for uPLC system. If that is so, what is the recommendations?

I am looking at:

1) Xterra MS C18, C8
2) Spherisorb CN column

In addition to the one I am deciding to get which is:

1) BEH C18
2) BEH Shield RP C18 as advised
3) BEH HILIC column

Do advise me again. Thanks.

[Hollow]

we are in the herbal buisness too.

We recently boughth the "whole" set of six Waters HPLC columns for screening but this systematical approach is still in the beginning.

Beside the standard C18 (in the case of UPLC this would be the BEH C18) we frequently get the best results with Atlantis C18 columns (->HSS T3) for polar substances.

[Uwe Neue]

Hollow is correct, there are several additional columns available. I gave you an answer for the two columns that are likely the most different. There is the ACQUITY UPLC BEH Phenyl column. Such columns show interesting selectivities due to pi-pi interactions. There is the ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column, which has a significant different bonding density and is designed for use in 100% water. There is the ACQUITY UPLC HSS C18 column. The BEH columns that I mentioned before are all based on the bridged-ethyl hybrid packing, and the HSS columns are based on silica. Lastly there is a C18 packing available with a larger pore size: the ACQUITY BEH300 C18. If you want to use a different technique than reversed-phase, you can use the ACQUITY UPLC BEH HILIC column. And then there is a C8 version of the standard BEH C18 as well.

If I counted right, there are 8 different UPLC surface chemistries available at this moment.

[Uwe Neue]

We have done some studies on selectivity differences. Based on this, my recommendation is to use the ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18, the ACQUITY UPLC BEH Shield RP18, the ACQUITY UPLC BEH Phenyl, the ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3, and the ACQUITY UPLC BEH300 C18 for RP work, and the ACQUITY UPLC BEH HILIC column for HILIC. This gives you maximum selectivity differences together with high performance (5 different UPLC columns). You may also select the C8 column, but in my experience the difference in selectivity between C8 and C18 is smaller than the other options.

I personally never recommend or use CN columns.