Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatographic Analysis of Quercetin and its Glycosides

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has been used to investigate the retention characteristics of quercetin and its glycosides typically present in plant samples. Two stationary phases – bare silica and with zwitterionic sulfoalkylbetaine groups on silica surface (ZIC) were used. The effect of acetonitrile content and the presence of salt in the mobile phase were studied. The analyte retention factors were observed to be inversely proportional to the water content in the mobile phase on ZIC column, which is characteristic of typical hydrophilic partitioning mechanism. Using the bare silica column, U-shaped curves were obtained, which shows more or less apparent dual retention mechanism. The potential of HILIC separation was demonstrated for the analysis of bioactive compounds in the aqueous extracts of popular medicinal herbs St John`s wort (Hypericum perforatum) and lemon balm (Melissa officials L).