A particulate body having a hollow particle and a surface polymer disposed on the outside of the hollow particle and suitable for use in solid phase synthesis, especially production of peptides and oligonucleotides. The particulate body may be used as a chromatography stationary phase column and the buoyancy of the body allows the column to be packed efficiently from the bottom reducing the risk of damage to the stationary phase. The buoyancy of the particulate body may also allow species for example a catalyst to be suspended in a liquid phase to allow reactions, for example hydrolysis of vegetable oil and esterification to produce biodiesel to be carried out with a reduced risk of catalyst loss from a reaction zone.
