What Are Hplc Columns And When Are They Used

A HPLC column is a component of chromatography mainly used in the field of Biochemistry and analytical chemistry

. Originally these instruments were developed to separate and recover components from a sample. However, today these machines are used to separate, purify, identify, and quantify substances.

The HP standing for High Performance in this instruments name refers to the high speeds at which these instruments function when compared to the traditional column chromatography due to the forcibly pumped mobile phase. A new Ultra High Performance counter is becoming established.

A Russian botanist name Tswett first used an early type of this machine to show how a number of dyes could be separated from a plant by dissolving the plant in petroleum ether and then then carrying the solvent through a glass column packed with calcium carbonate powder. He named the process chromatography from the Greek words Chroma meaning color and graphos meaning to draw. Although these instruments today certainly draw and separate more than colors the name continues to be used.

How a HPLC Counter Basically Works

Users of HPLC columns start by dissolving a sample compound in a solvent. This solvent is then injected into a chamber or column packed with a solid separating material. Different compounds adhere to the separating material at different rates thus separating themselves as the solvent goes through the chamber. This process is known as chemical separation.

When this equipment is used for purification the column extracts a target compound from the rest of the compound and the contaminates that are within the compound and solution making recovery of the targeted compound possible.

Identification

Identification of a compound even with the HPLC column is a process of combined research and trial and error. To be assured that you have accurately identified the unknown compound you must compare it to a sample of a known compound. Since many compounds have similar properties the tester may have to test and compare a number of compounds in order to find the right match.

Quantification

Quantification is simply using the machine to determine the amount of a certain concentration in a compound.

While most samples showing the use of HPLC columns clearly show the samples separating by color, there are many times where all the ingredients in a compound are completely clear which makes the use of machines much more complicated than a simple explanation would lead you to believe. There are HPLC column training courses available to help new scientists in their respective fields understand how these instruments work and how to use them effectively in testing samples. These courses offer a through understanding in how and why these instruments are useful as well as the proper methods for testing samples.

These specialized classes simply give scientists one more tool in not only doing their job but in helping to find new medicines, and learn more about the world in which we all live. As technology continues to advance there will be more and more ways HPLC columns can be used in the development of science.

by: Andrew Long

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