Frequently Asked Questions
What is liquid chromatography?
In liquid chromatography, a solvent known as the mobile phase is used to transport a mixture of compounds through a column containing a stationary phase, most generally consisting of silica gel (leading to the term “gel permeation chromatography”). Liquid chromatography is a technique that can be used for quantitative analysis and for preparative purifications as well.
What is the difference between high performance liquid chromatography and flash chromatography?
In high performance liquid chromatography, the mobile phase is pushed through the stationary phase under higher pressure than that used for flash chromatography. The higher pressure is a result of using a stationary phase with smaller particle size than that used for flash chromatography resulting in increased resolution. HPLC systems therefore yield faster results and HPLC separation to a superior ability to distinguish between compounds and elute purer results.
What does high pressure liquid chromatography do?
Chromatography is essential to research, development, purification, analysis, and manufacturing across many industries: pharmaceutical analysis; the analysis of bodily fluids in drug tests; separating fats, oils, sugars, vitamins, and natural coloring agents in foods; cosmetics and personal care products; preservatives of all kinds; and to develop and purify color compounds, including paints and dyes.
The separation of the compounds in the mixture is based on the affinity of each component’s molecules for the mobile phase and the stationary phase. The varied mass of the molecules and their varying propensity to adsorb, or adhere to, the stationary phase causes the compounds to migrate at different speeds. The results can then be separated out into their individual components using a fraction collector.
