Hydride-based silica stationary phases for HPLC: fundamental properties and applications.

Silica hydride is a recent development in chromatographic support materials for HPLC where hydride groups replace 95% of the silanols on the surface. This conversion changes many of the fundamental properties of the material as well as the bonded stationary phases that are the result of further chemical modification of the hydride surface. The general approach for fabricating the silica hydride and subsequent bonded phases is reviewed. Properties of the silica hydride surface are compared to those of the standard material obtained in the preparation of most commercial HPLC stationary phases. Some unique chromatographic properties of hydride-based phases are described as well as some general application areas where these bonded materials may be used in preference to or have advantages not available from typical stationary phases.