Stationary phases are usually liquids or very viscous polymers. The liquid phase must show high selectivity, α , for the compounds of interest. The capability of operating at high temperatures with minimal column bleed is also very important, particularly for sensitive detectors like FID, ECD and MS, used for trace analysis. The most important types of liquid phases as of 2018 are the siloxane polymers (mixtures of methyl, phenyl, and cyano) polysiloxanes like the following: · OV‐1, SE‐30 · DB‐1 (100% methyl polysiloxane) · OV‐17 · OV‐275 · DB‐1701 · DB‐710 Another popular type is the polyelthylene glycol (Carbowax 20M, Superox®, and DB‐WAX®) liquid phases. Contrary to packed columns, in capillary columns, the stationary phases are extensively cross-linked. Heating the freshly prepared capillary column at high temperatures and without gas flow in the column, the methyl groups form free radicals that readily cross-link, produ