Product Description
Technical specifications
Components and function
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Column Body:An inert tube, usually made of stainless steel, designed to withstand high pressure.
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Stationary Phase:The packing material inside the column, typically tiny particles that interact with the sample components.
- These particles can be made of various materials like silica, polymer, or carbon, with specific chemical modifications (e.g., C18, C8).
- The stationary phase's properties are chosen to maximize interactions with the sample, enabling separation.
- These particles can be made of various materials like silica, polymer, or carbon, with specific chemical modifications (e.g., C18, C8).
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Mobile Phase:A liquid solvent that is pumped through the column to carry the sample through the stationary phase.
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End Fittings and Frits:Filters called frits are located at each end of the column to hold the stationary phase particles inside while allowing the mobile phase to flow through. End fittings connect the column to the rest of the LC system.
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Separation Process:
- A sample is injected into the mobile phase.
- The mobile phase carries the sample through the stationary phase.
- Separation occurs as different components of the mixture interact differently with the stationary phase and mobile phase, causing them to travel through the column at different speeds.
- Separated components elute (exit) from the column at different times and are detected, allowing for identification and quantification.
- A sample is injected into the mobile phase.
Types of LC columns
- Reverse-phase (RP) columns: The most common type, with a nonpolar stationary phase that separates compounds based on hydrophobicity. Examples include C18 and C8 columns.
- Normal-phase columns: Use a polar stationary phase.
- Chiral columns: Used to separate enantiomers (mirror-image molecules).
- Size exclusion columns: Separate molecules based on their size, used for macromolecules like polymers and colloids.