Hydrophilic-subtraction model for the characterization and comparison of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography columns

• A retention model in HILIC named “hydrophilic-subtraction model” was established.
• The universality of this model was evaluated.
• The retention mechanisms occurring in HILIC were discussed.
• Selectivities of HILIC columns were intuitively exhibited by diagrams.
• A fast and convenient procedure for characterizing HILIC columns was proposed.

Nowadays more and more hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) columns with diverse functional groups have become commercially available, which pose a challenge to select an appropriate one. However, there is no universal model to provide guidance for selecting HILIC columns. To handle this problem, a retention model named “hydrophilic-subtraction model” was developed to characterize and compare HILIC columns. The hydrophilic-subtraction model, which was designed based on the widely recognized HILIC retention mechanisms including hydrophilic partitioning, hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interactions, was established by the retention of 41 solutes with various properties on 8 representative HILIC columns. High correlation coefficients (R2 ≥ 0.990) and small standard deviations (SD ≤ 0.041) indicated that this model correlated effectively the retention with solute descriptors and column parameters. To evaluate reliability of the model, the model was further applied to characterize 15 additional HILIC columns using 41 solutes. The results of multiple linear regression confirmed the significance of the model. The regression coefficients of the model were used to investigate retention mechanisms occurring in different chromatographic systems. Based on these regression coefficients, selectivities of HILIC stationary phases were exhibited intuitively by an angle graph and a spider diagram, which could be used as guidance for researchers to select appropriate columns for HILIC separation. Additionally, a rapid and convenient procedure was proposed for characterizing HILIC columns.