The column is the heart of any liquid chromatography system, and at the capillary scale, the right choice can make or break your separation. In the third installment of our Understanding Capillary LC series, Dr. Sam Foster is joined by Dr. Dwight Stoll of Gustavus Adolphus College to take a deep dive into capillary column selection. We’ll explore the different formats available, how packing differences impact performance, and what commercial options exist today. You’ll also learn practical approaches for when your ideal column isn’t commercially available, including custom and in-house solutions. Finally, we’ll discuss how Axcend’s Heated Column Cartridge (HCC) design allows the Focus LC to work with virtually any capillary column—giving you the flexibility to tailor your method without being locked into one supplier.
Whether you’re just starting with capillary LC or refining an existing workflow, this session will help you navigate the many factors that go into choosing the right column for your application.
Key Takeaways:
Samuel Foster, Ph.D.
Application Scientist
Axcend
Samuel Foster completed his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Rowan University in 2025. His research has focused on the development and application of capillary scale liquid chromatography instrumentation. He currently works at Axcend as an application scientist focusing on the development of chromatographic workflows for a variety of analyte classes including oligonucleotides, monoclonal antibodies, and drugs of abuse.
Dwight R. Stoll, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry
Gustavus Adolphus College
Dwight Stoll is Professor of Chemistry at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and five book chapters in separation science, speaks internationally on the topic, and is co-editor of the recent book: Multi-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography: Principles, practice, and applications. He has also written the monthly “LC Troubleshooting” column for LCGC Magazine since 2017, and co-hosts the Analytically Speaking podcast with Prof. Jim Grinias. His primary research focus is on the development of two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) for both targeted and untargeted analyses. Within this area he has made contributions on many aspects of the technique including stationary phase characterization, biopharmaceutical analysis, new 2D-LC methodologies and instrumentation, and fundamental aspects including re-equilibration in gradient elution liquid chromatography and analyte focusing. He has taught several short courses on 2D-LC in recent years at venues including Pittcon and the international HPLC20XX series, and hosts multi-day hands-on trainings for multi-dimensional chromatography in his laboratory at Gustavus.