A HILIC amide column (Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography amide column) is a polar stationary phase designed to retain and separate hydrophilic compounds that are poorly retained or elute at the void volume on conventional reversed-phase C18 columns. The amide-bonded phase offers strong hydrogen bonding and dipole interactions, providing excellent retention for carbohydrates, polar metabolites, peptides, glycans, and small polar drugs.

Hawach HILIC amide columns are manufactured from ultra-pure porous spherical silica gel (≥ 99.999%) with a chemically bonded carbamoyl (amide) functional group. Compared to bare silica (USP L3) and amino (NH₂, USP L8) phases, the amide column is electrically neutral, more stable, and free from Schiff base reactions with reducing sugars. It delivers longer column lifetime, better batch-to-batch reproducibility, and superior peak shapes for a wide range of polar analytes.

This column is classified as USP L68 and is a direct performance alternative to Waters XBridge Amide, Thermo Accucore Amide HILIC, and Agilent Zorbax HILIC Plus. It is fully compatible with LC/MS, ELSD, CAD, and UV detection.

Why Polar Compounds Fail on C18 Columns

Hydrophilic compounds such as sugars, amino acids, nucleotides, and polar metabolites often show little or no retention on conventional reversed-phase C18 columns. They elute near the void volume with poor resolution and weak MS response.

HILIC amide columns solve this limitation by using:

• strong polar interaction retention
• high-organic mobile phase systems
• orthogonal selectivity versus reversed-phase methods

Resulting in:

• stronger retention
• improved separation
• enhanced LC/MS sensitivity
• higher reproducibility for polar analytes

Why Choose a HILIC Amide Column Over Other Polar Phases

Key takeaway: HILIC amide provides the most stable and LC/MS-friendly performance for polar separations.

Amide vs ZIC-HILIC

Quick Selection Guide

Core Technical Specifications

Order Information

Recommended standard model:

13021395 – HILIC Amide, 5 μm, 120Å, 4.6 × 250 mm
Most widely used configuration for routine HILIC applications.
Download PDF Datasheet

Typical Applications

How HILIC Amide Columns Work

Retention in HILIC mode is driven by:

• hydrogen bonding interactions
• dipole-dipole interactions
• partitioning into a water-enriched layer on the stationary phase

High organic mobile phase (70-95% acetonitrile) enhances retention and improves MS sensitivity.

Mobile Phase Guidelines

Recommended:

• ≥70% acetonitrile
• ammonium acetate / ammonium formate (LC/MS)
• phosphate buffer (UV only)

Not recommended:

• 30% water
• pH >8
• 100% aqueous mobile phase

Manufacturing & Quality System

• ISO 9001 certified production
• Ultra-high purity silica (>99.999%)
• Controlled amide bonding process
• Batch-tested with polar standards
• COA and chromatogram included
• Full traceability
• OEM and private label available

Compatibility with Major Brand Methods

Procurement Advantages

• Lower cost versus major brands
• Direct method replacement in most QC workflows
• Stable inventory for standard SKUs
• Full COA and chromatogram per batch
• OEM and private label support
• Fast shipping for standard models (3-5 days)
• High batch-to-batch reproducibility

Frequently Asked Questions