Evaluation of Alkaline Earth and Transition Metals for Use in the Ion Moderated Partition Chromatography of Sugars

The elution behavior of 28 sugars and related compounds from high performance chromatography columns packed with alkaline earth and transition metals was investigated. As expected from the well-known chromatography of the commercially available calcium, silver, and lead form columns, elution behavior is highly metal-ion form specific. A significant data base of sugar elution versus column cationic-form was generated to permit the selection of new columns to enhance the separation of specific eluting species. Sugars resulting from the hydrolysis of wood were closely examined. Arabinose and galactose, known to be difficult to separate on commercially available lead and silver-form columns, were well separated on custom-packed rubidium and cesium-form columns.