ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the design and application of a mixture of synthetic undecapeptide high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) standards for monitoring the performance of cation-exchange columns. The most logical approach to assessing column performance is to employ HPLC standards, preferably under a set of standard chromatographic run conditions, for a proper comparison of different HPLC packings. The chapter explains the three strong cation-exchange columns: SynChropak S300, PolySULFOETHYL Aspartamide, and Mono S HR 5/5. An advantage of peptides over proteins as monitors of ion-exchange column characteristics lies in the fact that all charged groups in peptides are generally available to interact with the column packing even under benign conditions. The value of the peptide standards to the researcher lies in the way they can quickly compare performance characteristics of different cation-exchange columns or to assess the performance characteristics of a specific cation-exchange column. The development of peptide standards for assessing anion-exchange column performance in peptide separations is a logical step.
