Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) provides an alternative approach to separation of mixtures of polar and hydrophilic compounds that are poorly resolved by reversed‐phase liquid chromatography. This separation mode involves polar stationary phases and an aqueous mobile phase, usually rich in an organic solvent such as acetonitrile (ACN). In addition to the commonly accepted mechanism of analyte liquid–liquid partitioning between the mobile phase and the water‐enriched solvent layer, which is partially immobilized onto the surface of the stationary phase, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interaction, and ion‐exchange interactions may also be involved. HILIC applications for the analysis of small polar molecules can be found in pharmaceutical, medicinal, food, and agricultural chemistry. Carbohydrates, amino acids, nucleotides, polar drugs, metabolites, toxins, and other small polar or ionizable compounds are typical HILIC analytes.