Deconvolution of composite chromatographic peaks by simultaneous dual detections

Composite chromatographic peaks are deconvoluted by a method that uses ratio formation from signals of simultaneous double detection. The method is generally suitable if two detector signals can simultaneously be acquired and their uses do not need any a priori assumption or mathematical shape analysis. A simple deduction makes the compound- and detector-specific intensive parameters explicit, which allows for the digital construction of directly invisible component peaks. The simultaneous double detection is shown to be superior to coupled detectors, sequentially fixed chromatograms, and subsequently synchronized peaks. The combination of circular dichroism and ultraviolet (UV) detection is shown to be especially advantageous in the analysis of enantiomers for which the other ratio-forming peak-deconvolution techniques have inherently been insensitive. The double chiroptical UV detection can be of further use to decompose overlapping peaks of nonenantiomeric compounds that are highly similar. The capacity of the method is exemplified by the analysis of morphine alkaloids, steroid oximes, and synthetic heterocycles.