High-performance liquid chromatography retention mechanisms and their mathematical descriptions

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Separation Science

Background:

• Understanding analyte behavior in High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is crucial for accurate separation and analysis.
• Existing models often require complex assumptions about the adsorbed layer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze different analyte behavior mechanisms within HPLC columns.
• To derive expressions for analyte retention volume based on analyte distribution.
• To incorporate multi-equilibrium processes and excess adsorption into chromatographic models.

Main Methods:

• Consideration of analyte distribution between adsorbent and bulk liquid phase.
• Derivation of retention volume expressions for various retention mechanisms.
• Development of a methodology for incorporating multi-equilibrium processes.
• Application of excess adsorption principles to describe eluent component adsorption.

Main Results:

• Expressions for analyte retention volume were derived for different mechanisms.
• A method for integrating multi-equilibrium processes into retention expressions under ideal linear chromatography was proposed.
• The study demonstrated the direct applicability of excess adsorption to chromatographic processes.

Conclusions:

• Analyte distribution is key to understanding retention volumes in HPLC.
• Excess adsorption provides a viable model for describing chromatographic behavior without conventional layer models.
• The findings offer a simplified yet effective approach to chromatographic analysis.