Boronate Affinity Chromatography

Abstract Boronate affinity chromatography (BAC) is a unique mode of affinity chromatography. It relies on the pH‐dependent, covalent and reversible interactions between boronic acid ligands and cis ‐diol‐containing compounds. This chemistry endows BAC with the unique capability for selective recognition, capture, isolation, and enrichment of cis ‐diol‐containing biomolecules. Cis ‐diol‐containing biomolecules are an important class of compounds, including catecholamines, saccharides, ribonucleosides, ribonucleotides, glycopeptides and glycoproteins. These biomolecules play essential roles in many life‐related processes, and many of them are important target molecules in current research frontiers, such as proteomics, metabolomics, and glycomics. In recent decades, BAC and boronate affinity materials (BAMs) have developed rapidly and found promising applications in multiple areas. This article provides a review for general readers, covering from the very beginning of this technique to its recent development. We mainly focus on fundamental considerations, major progresses, and new BAMs reported in recent decades. In addition, prospects for the future development and application of BAC are discussed.