Recent studies of the fused silica support material in capillary chromatography.

Gas chromatographic intermediate surface testing is shown to be an effective probe for studying the surface properties of fused silica capillary tubing. Using this approach, the reversible adsorption of aldehydes and ketones on the fused silica surface is observed for the first time. It is shown that this interaction can arise from the preferential interaction of carbonyl functional group at bonded silanol sites on the surface. Simple test mixtures containing an aldehyde or ketone can be used to probe the concentration of water and bonded silanols on the surface and thus to evaluate capillary manufacturing processes and thermal and chemical surface treatments.