HPLC guard columns are short columns or cartridges that, when installed before an analytical or preparative (U)HPLC column, act as a filter to prevent particulates from entering the main column and trap any chemical contaminants with a high affinity for the stationary phase. This filter helps to ensure the integrity of (U)HPLC results and increase data reproducibility by removing chemical impurities that could prevent your main column from effectively retaining target analytes from your sample. A guard column’s ability to retain physical contaminants also greatly increase the lifetime of your main column by reducing the chance of column blockage.
Our guard columns are available in a variety of packing material chemistries and dimensions. This allows you to select a column that is packed with the same stationary phase and has a comparable inner diameter to your main column to avoid selectivity discrepancies and increased back pressures.
UHPLC filters are available for higher pressure applications.
Cartridge-style guard columns, or guard cartridges, contain a small quantity of stationary phase packed in a tablet-like housing. To install a guard cartridge to your main column, the cartridge must first be connected to a reusable guard cartridge holder (and coupler in some applications), at which point the cartridge and holder can be attached directly to the column inlet much like a column fitting. This design reduces dead volume and band broadening and makes it easy to replace your guard cartridges as necessary, minimizing downtime in your lab.
Uniguard Direct-Connection | Acclaim Guard Holder and Coupler | UHPLC filters |
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Reusable, stainless-steel guard cartridge holders compatible with all Hypersil GOLD and Accucore guard cartridges. | Guard cartridge holder and coupler kit compatible with all Acclaim guard cartridges. | Low-volume filter cartridges compatible with all Thermo Scientific guard columns; ideal for small particle columns and high-pressure applications. |
For columns with reversed phase chemistries such as C18, C8, C4, C30, RP-MS, and polar-modified stationary phases such as Polar Advantage I and II, Polar Premium, and C18 aQ, find your compatible guard cartridge and holder below.
| Acclaim 120 C18 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore C18 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore XL C18 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD C18 Selectivity* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore aQ C18 Polar-Endcapped | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD aQ C18 Polar-Endcapped* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore Polar Premium | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Polar Advantage I | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Polar Advantage II | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
*For all columns with sub 2 µm particle sizes, use our UHPLC filters and filter holder.
| Acclaim 120 C8 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore C8 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore XL C8 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD C8* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
*For all columns with sub 2 µm particle sizes, use our UHPLC filters and filter holder.
| Accucore 150-C4 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD C4* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
*For all columns with sub 2 µm particle sizes, use our UHPLC filters and filter holder.
| Acclaim C30 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore C30 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore RP-MS | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
For reversed phase columns with phenyl-based stationary phases such as phenyl, phenyl-hexyl, phenyl-1 , phenyl-X, PFP, and biphenyl, find your compatible guard cartridge and holder below.
| Accucore Phenyl-X | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore Phenyl-Hexyl | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD Phenyl* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Phenyl-1 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD PFP* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore PFP | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore Biphenyl | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
*For all columns with sub 2 µm particle sizes, use our UHPLC filters and filter holder.
For columns packed with HILIC and normal phase chemistries such as amide HILIC, HILIC, PEI HILIC, amino, cyano, and silica, find your compatible guard cartridge and holder below.
| Accucore 150 Amide HILIC | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD PEI HILIC* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim HILIC-10 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Accucore HILIC | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD Amino* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD Cyano* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil GOLD Silica* | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
*For all columns with sub 2 µm particle sizes, use our UHPLC filters and filter holder.
For columns packed with mixed-mode stationary phases such Trinity P1, Trinity P2, and Trinity Q1, as well as WAX-1, WCX-1, and HILIC-1, find your compatible guard cartridge and holder below.
| Acclaim Trinity P1 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Trinity P2 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Trinity Q1 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Mixed-Mode WAX-1 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Mixed-Mode WCX-1 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Mixed-Mode HILIC-1 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
For application specific column chemistries with selectivity for carbamate pesticides, explosives, organic acids, carbonyl compounds, surfactants, aminoglycosides, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, find your compatible guard cartridge and holder below.
| Acclaim Carbamate | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Explosives E2 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Organic Acid | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Carbonyl C18 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Surfactant | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim Surfactant Plus | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Acclaim AmG C18 | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
| Hypersil Green PAH | Guard Cartridge | Guard Holder |
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Prolonging the lifetime of your analytical column is good business, as a longer lifetime means more injections per column and reduced cost of analysis per sample. To achieve a longer lifetime requires concrete action, and those actions are what we will discuss in this white paper.
Thermo Scientific Uniguard Direct-connection Guard Cartridge Holders were introduced to battle the challenges with older technology guards. The Uniguard cartridge holders directly connect with the column and can be attached much like a column fitting to reduce the dead volume of the connection.
Guard columns have a great effect on your analytical HPLC column lifetime. A guard column functions as a particular and chemical filter for the main analytical column.
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