An ultra acid stable reversed stationary phase

We report anew reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) phase with remarkable acid stability using dimethyl(ethylphenylchloromethyl)chlorosilane (1), oligomeric polystyrene (PS), and octylbenzene (C₈). This phase Si-1-PS-C₈ was prepared using silica modification processes and Friedel-Crafts alkylation chemistry. Under highly aggressive mobile phase conditions, Si-1-PS-C₈ exhibited remarkable stability as evinced by only minimal reduction in retention factor (k′) after 1400 column volumes at pH = 0.5 and 150 °C. The peak shapes for a variety of basic solutes were symmetric using Si-1-PS-C₈. Evidence for a highly cross-linked coating of the silica particles was observed using scanning electron microscopy. The remarkable stability of this phase is unparalleled as compared to all other RPLC phases reported to date.