Viva columns are based on a wide pore material we designed for optimal large-molecule separations.

• USP L7
• Excellent for separating peptides or proteins
• Rugged, spherical particles with 300 Å pore size
• High proportion of pore/surface area available to large molecules

In developing Viva silica, we found that although many commercial wide-pore silicas meet the standard 300 Å mean pore size, most have very broad distributions about this mean, with a significant portion of their pore volume falling below 150 Å.

C8 is a conventional monomeric octylsilane column offering a shorter alkyl chain to provide less hydrophobic retention and improved basic peak shape over a traditional C18 phase. Like our C18, this general-purpose Restek® C8 is suitable for a wide range of compounds from acidic through slightly basic.

This means a large portion of the surface area is unavailable to larger molecules. Viva columns have a narrow distribution around the mean pore size, permitting a larger portion of the silica surface to play a role in the separation.