Instrumentation for analytical scale supercritical fluid chromatography

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Chromatography

Background:

• Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) shares significant hardware and software with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
• The primary distinction lies in SFC's use of carbon dioxide (CO2) as the main mobile phase component.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the modifications and challenges associated with adapting HPLC hardware for analytical scale SFC.
• To detail the specific problems and solutions related to CO2 properties in SFC.

Main Methods:

• Adaptation of HPLC pumps and autosamplers to manage CO2 compressibility.
• Integration of back pressure regulators and high-pressure UV-Vis detector flow cells.
• Detailed examination of CO2 characteristics like adiabatic vs. isothermal compressibility and refractive index.

Main Results:

• Identified necessary hardware modifications for SFC, including specialized pumps and detectors.
• Addressed challenges arising from CO2's high compressibility and low viscosity.
• Provided solutions for thermal gradients and refractive index variations.

Conclusions:

• Analytical SFC requires specific hardware adaptations distinct from HPLC due to CO2 properties.
• Understanding and managing CO2 compressibility and detector parameters are crucial for successful SFC implementation.