Increased stability of derivitization agents on the surfaces of packing
material used in choromatography is described. In particular, the
stability of the organosilanes on silicia surfaces used in chromatography
is increased, thereby creating a more durable coating of organosilanes. By
increasing its stability, the organosilane entity becomes more resistant
to de-bonding and the durability of the underlying surface is enhanced
against dissolution. Thus, chromatographic separations are able to be
performed at higher and lower pH ranges and higher temperatures. The
stability can be increased through attachment of polydentate silanes which
are either pre-polymerized and then surface bonded or can be bonded first
and then cross-polymerized afterward, yielding a polymerized
polycarbosilane backbone that is very stable against hydrolytic cleavage
conditions.
