Separation by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) with fluorescence detection utilizing a sub-2 mu m glycan column for the separation of 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB) labeled N-linked glycans is described. The HILIC column packed with a 1.7 mu m amide sorbent improves the peak capacity compared to a 3.0 mu m HILIC Column by a similar degree as observed in reversed-phase Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC). The results indicated that the optimal peak capacity was achieved at flow rate 0.2-0.5 mL/min. HILIC method transfer guidelines were shown to further enhance the resolution of glycans by changing initial gradient conditions, flow rate, Column temperature, and different column lengths. Additionally, excellent resolution can be achieved in the separation of 2-AB labeled glycans released from fetuin, RNase B, and human IgG with a rapid analysis time. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.