High Performance Liquid Chromatography

How It Works

In an HPLC, the sample is introduced into a mobile phase (carrier solvent) and pumped at high pressure through a packed column.  The packing material within the column consists of porous microscopic beads coated with hydrophobic alkane chains.  The column packing material and mobile phase are chosen depending on the compounds to be analyzed and the solvent in which it is dissolved.  As the mobile phase moves through the column, the packing material separates the sample into different components.  These components elute from the HPLC at different times called "retention times."  The retention times can then be used to identify and quantify the components when run in sequence with standard reference compounds.

Equipment

FAI utilizes two High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) systems for our identification of compounds.  Also called a "High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph," the HPLC is used in many applications including drugs in biological samples, pharmaceutical analysis, food and nutritional analysis, surfactant analysis, analysis of ions, polymer analysis, ionic compounds and organic compounds.

Detectors

FAI uses diode array - UV spectral (DAD), refractive index (RI), conductivity, and amperometry detection.  The DAD simultaneously monitors UV and visible light transmission through the sample while RI detection can be used when the compounds of interest do not have a strong UV chromatophores.  These spectra are matched to the retention times in the chromatogram, allowing detailed analysis of sample components by multiple techniques.

Related Services: Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC), Ion Chromatography

Contact us for more information.