It was concern about chemical purity that first led Vydac to pioneer synthetic silica processes as opposed to silica sol methods used by other manufacturers. Silica sols are alkaline suspensions produced from naturally occurring silica. In addition to silicon and oxygen, they contain sodium ions and other impurities. Silica gels are produced when sols are acidified with sulfuric acid, leaving traces of sulfate and ion-exchange character.
In the late '70s, Vydac began making silica in a new way, starting with purified organic silicates. Perfection of this technology led to chromatographic adsorbents of exceptional performance. Consistent with this heritage, at Vydac chromatographic reproducibility is our credo, providing assurance of dependable chromatography, time after time.