COMPARISON OF COLUMNS OF CHEMICALLY MODIFIED POROUS-GLASS AND SILICA IN REVERSED-PHASE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY OF GINSENOSIDES

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatograms of an extract of ginseng and mixtures of ginsenosides (ginseng saponins) on a number of columns of chemically modified porous glass (MPG, pore size 550 angstrom) and silica (pore size 80 and 300 angstrom) were compared. Although the retention behaviour of ginsenosides was similar on the columns examined, the capacity factors of ten ginsenosides on an octadecylsilyl-MPG (MPG-ODS) column were smaller than those on silica columns. It is concluded that the MPG-ODS column has a number of advantages over conventional silica-ODS columns for the chromatography of ginsenosides. These properties are attributable to the optimum pore size for the molecular size of the saponins on the one hand and to the narrow distribution range of the pore size on the other.