Product Release | 4 µm Boltimate C18 Core-Shell Column: Beyond the Ordinary
Table of contents
Introduction
In method development and routine analysis, even small improvements in chromatographic performance can make a meaningful difference. Higher resolution, shorter run times, lower backpressure, and more consistent results across batches are all important considerations when choosing an HPLC column.
What if you could achieve these improvements without making major changes to your existing methods?
Welch Materials introduces the 4 µm Boltimate C18 core-shell column, a new addition to the Boltimate C18 column family. Combining advanced superficially porous particle technology with excellent batch-to-batch reproducibility, this column offers an efficient solution for laboratories looking to improve chromatographic performance and streamline routine analysis.
Core-Shell Particle Technology for High-Efficiency Separations
The 4 µm Boltimate C18 features superficially porous particles, also known as core-shell particles. Unlike conventional fully porous silica particles, each particle consists of a solid silica core surrounded by a porous outer shell.
Its particle architecture features a 2.5 µm solid silica core and a 0.75 µm-thick porous shell, providing an optimized structure for efficient chromatographic separations.
Compared with conventional fully porous particles of the same or similar particle size, this core-shell structure offers several advantages:
- Higher column efficiency: The shorter diffusion paths within the porous shell help reduce band broadening and improve separation efficiency.
- Faster analysis: High column efficiency makes it possible to achieve effective separations in shorter run times.
- Lower backpressure: The particle structure can deliver efficient separations at lower operating pressures than conventional fully porous particles of comparable performance.
Beyond its particle architecture, the 4 µm Boltimate C18 is designed to deliver consistent chromatographic performance from batch to batch, helping laboratories maintain reliable analytical methods over time.
Evidence 1: Excellent Batch-to-Batch Reproducibility
For laboratories performing routine quality control and high-throughput analysis, column consistency is just as important as chromatographic performance. Variations between column batches can bring unnecessary uncertainty into established analytical methods.
The 4 µm Boltimate C18 demonstrates excellent batch-to-batch reproducibility, helping minimize these variations and maintain consistent analytical results.
Chromatographic conditions:
- Column: Boltimate C18 (4.6×250 mm, 4 µm)
- Mobile phase: 80% Acetonitrile
- Flow rate: 1.2 mL/min
- Column temperature: 25 °C
- Detection wavelength: 254 nm
- Injection volume: 10 µL
| Batch | Naphthalene |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ret. Time (min) | Plates | Tailing | |
| 1 | 2.793 | 55365 | 1.07 |
| 2 | 2.818 | 54058 | 0.99 |
| 3 | 2.825 | 55910 | 1.07 |
| 4 | 2.813 | 53291 | 1.10 |
| 5 | 2.821 | 51267 | 1.12 |
Across five batches, the retention times remained within 2.79–2.83 min, while theoretical plate counts consistently exceeded 51,000. Tailing factors ranged from 0.99 to 1.12, and resolution remained above 13.1.
Evidence 2: Advantages Over Conventional Fully Porous C18 Columns
Chromatographic conditions:
- Column: Boltimate C18 (4.6×150 mm, 4 µm)
- Mobile phase: Methanol-water (75:25)
- Flow rate: 1 mL/min
- Column temperature: 30 °C
- Detection wavelength: 254 nm
- Instrument: Waters Arc PREMIER 2489
| Column | Toluene |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ret. Time (min) | Plates (USP) | Tailing (USP) | Pressure (psi) | |
| Column A | 4.809 | 22510 | 0.98 | 3380 |
| Column B | 3.923 | 21401 | 0.94 | 3455 |
| Boltimate C18 | 2.807 | 25000 | 1.16 | 2514 |
Under the tested conditions, the 4 µm Boltimate C18 achieved an elution time of just 2.807 min, a theoretical plate count of 25,000, and a backpressure of only 2,514 psi.
Compared with the conventional 3 µm fully porous silica C18 columns, the 4 µm Boltimate C18 delivered faster separation, higher column efficiency, and lower operating pressure, making it an attractive option for laboratories seeking to upgrade existing C18 methods.
Application Example: Polyphenols
The 4 µm Boltimate C18 was evaluated for the analysis of five polyphenolic compounds (gallic acid, catechin, rutin, ferulic acid, and quercetin), using a phosphoric acid–acetonitrile gradient elution system.
Chromatographic conditions:
- Column: Boltimate C18 (4.6×150 mm, 4 µm)
- Mobile phase: A: 0.1% phosphoric acid in water; B: acetonitrile
- Gradien Program:
Time (min) A (%) B (%) 0 95 5 1 95 5 10 15 85 12.5 15 85 12.6 95 5 20 95 5 - Flow rate: 1 mL/min
- Column temperature: 30 °C
- Detection wavelength: 280 nm
- Injection volume: 5 µL
- Instrument: Waters Arc PREMIER 2489
The evaluation covered three batches of Boltimate C18 columns. Across all three batches, the five polyphenolic compounds exhibited consistent retention times, peak shapes, and resolution, demonstrating good batch-to-batch reproducibility. These results confirm the column's ability to deliver consistent chromatographic performance in polyphenol analysis.
Upgrade Your C18 Method with 4 µm Boltimate C18
If your laboratory currently uses conventional 3 µm or 5 µm fully porous C18 columns, but you want to improve separation efficiency, shorten analysis time, or reduce backpressure without fundamentally changing your existing method framework, the 4 µm Boltimate C18 core-shell column is an excellent upgrade option.
With its advanced core-shell particle architecture and excellent batch-to-batch reproducibility, it brings together the performance improvements that matter in everyday chromatography.
Ready to take your C18 methods to the next level?
Explore the new 4 µm Boltimate C18 core-shell column from Welch Materials and discover a more efficient approach to HPLC separation.
Product and Ordering Information
| Column | Boltimate C18 |
| USP Code | L1 |
| Particle Size | 4 µm |
| Pore Size | 90 Å |
| Surface Area | 90 m2/g |
| Carbon Load | 6% |
| pH Range | 2.0-8.0 |
| Max. Temperature | 60 °C |
| Max. Pressure Tolerance | 60 MPa |
| P/N | Specification |
|---|---|
| 960-05041 | Boltimate C18, 4 µm, 90 Å, 4.6×150 mm |
| 960-05043 | Boltimate C18, 4 µm, 90 Å, 4.6×250 mm |
