For reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP HPLC) separations, C18s are the "workhorse" LC columns. They have broad applicability in many industries, but they are not optimized for all application-specific needs, especially for critical separations of similar aromatic compounds.
Thanks to their ability to separate analytes with similar chemical structures which standard C18 columns are unable to resolve, while still being able to operate under reversed-phase conditions, novel phenyl-based stationary phases have gained interest in recent years, in particular the Naphthyl phase.
The naphthyl stationary phase's unique design provides alternative p-p interactions, which are absent in C18 phases, making it ideal for selectively separating p-active aromatic compounds, and its p-p retention mechanism is unique among the various phenyl phases available on the market. In this poster, the separation of Sudan dyes and steroids is presented to highlight Naphthyl columns as a unique alternative towards a C18 column.