Top 5 HILIC Columns in Canada for 2026: Best Choices for Polar Metabolites and Glycans
Published on Saturday, January 24, 2026
Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography (HILIC) columns are engineered to retain and separate highly polar and hydrophilic analytes such as metabolites, amino acids and glycans. HILIC phases create a water-rich layer on the stationary phase surface that promotes partitioning of polar analytes from a high-organic mobile phase, producing stronger retention where reversed-phase fails. In Canada, laboratories favor HILIC columns that deliver MS-friendly mobile phase compatibility, robust day-to-day reproducibility, long lifetimes, and reliable technical support from local distributors. Popular trends include adoption of sub-2 micron and core-shell particles for higher throughput, zwitterionic and neutral HILIC chemistries for improved peak shape and reduced secondary interactions, and designs that minimize solvent consumption and total cost of ownership. These attributes make HILIC columns appealing across metabolomics, clinical bioanalysis, biopharmaceutical research, food testing and environmental monitoring.
Top Picks Summary
Waters Acquity UPLC BEH HILIC Column
The ACQUITY UPLC BEH HILIC column leverages Waters' BEH hybrid particle technology to deliver exceptional mechanical stability and high-efficiency UHPLC separations for polar analytes, making it a market leader for high-throughput and method-development labs. Compared with other HILIC products on this list, it commands a higher upfront cost but typically yields longer lifetime, superior pressure tolerance and very reproducible retention, which can lower total cost-per-sample in intensive workflows.
Agilent InfinityLab Poroshell 120 HILIC-Z Column
Agilent's Poroshell 120 HILIC-Z uses core–shell (superficially porous) particle design to deliver near-UHPLC efficiencies at reduced backpressure, enabling fast, high-resolution HILIC separations on many standard LC systems. It is a cost-effective alternative to fully porous UHPLC columns like Waters BEH, offering similar peak capacity and lower solvent and instrument stress, which translates to operational savings for labs that prioritize throughput without replacing existing hardware.
Phenomenex Luna HILIC Column
The Phenomenex Luna HILIC column is a well-established silica-based HILIC phase known for broad method applicability and predictable retention of highly polar compounds, making it a common first choice for method transfer and routine analyses. While it may not match the ultra-high-pressure durability of BEH or core–shell technologies, its competitive pricing and extensive literature support make it an economical option for many labs and for initial method screening compared with more specialized phases.
Thermo Scientific Accucore HILIC Column
Thermo Scientific's Accucore HILIC employs core–shell particle engineering optimized for LC–MS workflows, delivering high efficiency, low column bleed and improved MS sensitivity for polar and ionic analytes. It sits between premium UHPLC hybrid phases and legacy silica types in price and performance, offering many groups a balanced trade-off of chromatographic speed, robustness and instrument-friendly backpressure compared with fully porous or purely silica-based HILIC columns.
Merck SeQuant ZIC-HILIC Column
The Merck SeQuant ZIC-HILIC column features a zwitterionic (sulfobetaine) stationary phase that provides unique and highly reproducible selectivity for neutral and charged polar compounds, especially sugars, metabolites and small polar drugs. Its distinct selectivity profile often outperforms generic HILIC phases for ionizable analytes and can reduce method development time; although its chemical behavior differs from silica, it is competitively priced and especially valuable when that specific zwitterionic interaction is required.
How HILIC Works and Why It Matters
HILIC separates polar compounds by combining a water-rich layer on the stationary phase with partitioning and electrostatic interactions. It is particularly effective for small polar metabolites, nucleosides, amino acids and glycans that show poor retention in reversed-phase chromatography. Because HILIC typically uses high-organic, volatile mobile phases such as acetonitrile with low concentrations of volatile buffers, it is highly compatible with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Scientific and applied research in metabolomics and glycomics demonstrates that appropriate HILIC chemistries and careful method setup yield improved retention, sharper peaks and better MS sensitivity for polar analytes compared with many alternative approaches.
Retention mechanism: partitioning into a water-enriched layer plus hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions; phase chemistry strongly affects selectivity.
MS compatibility: high organic content and volatile buffers improve desolvation and ionization in electrospray MS.
Column technology: core-shell and sub-2 micron particles provide higher plate counts and faster separations with lower backpressure than older fully porous media.
Phase selection: zwitterionic (ZIC) and neutral polar phases often reduce secondary interactions for basic and highly polar analytes, improving peak shape.
Method tips: proper column equilibration, matching sample solvent strength to mobile phase, and controlling buffer concentration and pH are critical for reproducible HILIC results.
Applications evidence: peer-reviewed metabolomics and glycomics studies repeatedly show HILIC improves coverage and quantitation of polar metabolite classes versus reversed-phase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which HILIC column should I choose for polar glycans?
Choose the Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH HILIC Column if you want UHPLC high-efficiency separation of polar analytes; it uses sub-2 µm BEH particles and is rated 4.6.
What exact particle size is on the Waters BEH HILIC column?
The Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH HILIC Column uses sub-2 µm BEH particles for high efficiency and excellent peak capacity in UHPLC separations.
Is the Agilent Poroshell 120 HILIC-Z column cheaper than Waters?
The provided data doesn’t list any prices for the Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH HILIC Column or the Agilent InfinityLab Poroshell 120 HILIC-Z Column, so a value comparison can’t be confirmed.
Is the Phenomenex Luna HILIC column good for LC-MS workflows?
Yes—the Phenomenex Luna HILIC Column is described as compatible with conventional HPLC and LC-MS systems for routine analyses, and it has an average rating of 4.2.
Conclusion
In Canada the HILIC category gives researchers versatile tools for polar and highly hydrophilic analytes. The Waters Acquity UPLC BEH HILIC Column, Agilent InfinityLab Poroshell 120 HILIC-Z Column, Phenomenex Luna HILIC Column, Thermo Scientific Accucore HILIC Column and Merck SeQuant ZIC-HILIC Column each bring strengths in stability, efficiency, selectivity and MS compatibility. For most Canadian metabolomics and bioanalysis labs seeking the best combination of uptime, broad applicability and technical support, the Waters Acquity UPLC BEH HILIC Column stands out as the top choice. We hope this roundup helped you find what you were looking for; you can refine or expand your search using the site search to focus on particle size, column dimensions, phase chemistry or supplier support.