How does HIC work?
FAQ from TOSOH
In HIC, proteins bind to a hydrophobic ligand on the surface of a porous methacrylate support resin under high salt concentration conditions in the mobile phase (typically >1 M ammonium sulfate). The salt promotes the hydrophobic interaction between the protein and the solid support. To desorb the protein, the salt concentration is lowered via a decreasing salt gradient which diminishes the hydrophobic interaction.