PREPARATIVE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY ON A UNIQUE HIGH-SPEED MACROPOROUS RESIN

The use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the analysis and purification of biological macromolecules has increased with the commercial availability of packing materials spefically designed for large-molecule analysis. However, the speed of analysis is limited as the efficiency of the HPLC columns for macromolecules has been significantly lower that that acheived for small molecule separations. One possible solution to the speed/capacity/resolution triangle experienced with large biological molecules is to increase the pore size of the HPLC matrix. A rigid macroporous polymer with a 4000 Å pore size has, therefore, been developed for evaluation as a high performance matrix for macromolecule HPLC separations. The mechanical stability of this polymer enables the material to be packed in conventional columns, 4.6 mm I.D., and operated under HPLC conditions of flow rate and pressure. The high speed, fast flow matrices evaluated are for reversed-phase HPLC, PLRP-S 4000 Å, and for anion-exchange HPLC, PL-SAX 4000 Å. The matrices/columns have been assessed for stability, permeability, efficiency, selectivity and capacity with macromolecules and their suitability for analytical and preparative applications evaluated. © 1990.