Abstract: Methods for coating hydrophilic gels onto the surface of solid particles are disclosed which include utilizing hydrophilic solid particles, intimately admixing these hydrophilic solid particles with a hydrophilic gel-forming substance at a temperature above the gelling temperature so as to coat the solid hydrophilic particles, and then separating these coated particles from each other and cooling them to a temperature below the gelling temperature. The use of these coated particles is also disclosed in connection with various separation processes, such as an ion exchanger, in those cases where the gel-forming substance contains charged groups, or providing the particles with suitable adsorbent groups.