Separation of prostaglandins using the new horizontal flow-through coil planet centrifuge

Prostaglandins and their metabolites have been separated using the new horizontal flow-through coil planet centrifuge to perform countercurrent chromatography. The system is a continuous-flow system which provides separations similar to column and thin-layer chromatography without the use of solid supports. Either phase of a two-phase solvent system can be used to elute the compounds with the low pressure produced by a metering pump. Separations were produced in PTFE tubing, 0.55 mm i.d. (wound in 0.68 cm helical diameter) with a total capacity of 24 ml. A solvent system of chloroform/acetic acid/water (2 : 2 : 1, v/v) was used at flow rates of 2.4 and 6 ml/h and at a rotation of 500 rev./min. Microgram quantities of prostaglandins E2, F2 alpha, A2, and B2 and thromboxane B2 can be separated. This method can be scaled up to 260-ml columns with comparable results.