Ionic liquids, considered "green" chemicals, are widely used in many areas of analytical chemistry due to their unique properties. Recently, ionic liquids have been used as a kind of novel additive in separation and combined with silica to synthesize new stationary phase as separation media. This review will focus on the properties and mechanisms of ionic liquids and their potential applications as mobile phase modifier and surface-bonded stationary phase in reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Ionic liquids demonstrate advantages and potential in chromatographic field.