Chiral stationary phase (CSP) with cellulose derivatives was synthesized using the grafting from and grafting to methods. The grafting to method involves the bonding of a preformed end-functionalized polymer to reactive surface amine groups on the silica gel. The grafting from involves the immobilization of initiator onto the aminated silica gel followed by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to generate the chiral polymer chains. The successful preparation of the CSP with cellulose derivatives prepared by ATRP was confirmed by FE-SEM, XPS, EA, and thermal analysis. The chiral resolution of the CSP with cellulose derivatives was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography using 10 racemates with various mobile phases that consisted of hexane/alcohol, hexane/THF, and hexane/chloroform. Furthermore, the CSP with cellulose derivatives prepared by grafting from and grafting to were compared and discussed. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013