Liquid Chromatography

In an earlier article (#88) we looked at the need to use a matrix-based calibration curve so as to correct for low recovery when extracting an analyte from a sample matrix. To do this, we used a blank matrix and spiked in known concentrations of...

I recently had an email from a reader who wondered how it was possible to use an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) with an HPLC for quantitative analysis when instead of a linear response, the concentration vs response relationship...

I recently had a reader send me an email complaining that the peaks in his chromatogram were too narrow. At first, this seems a bit odd – after all, most people complain because peaks are too wide, so narrow peaks usually are preferred over broader...

In a previous article (HPLC Solutions #91) we looked at a problem where we suspected that the data acquisition rate of the data system was too slow to gather a sufficient number of data points across a peak with a 2-µm particle column. The data of...

A reader emailed in the following question: I am trying to analyze a peptide (2675 Da) on a 150 x 2.1 mm, 3 µm particle column by LC-MS using an ion trap MS in the positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode. The first injection is OK, with the...

In a previous article (Poor Equilibration) we looked at a problem gradient method where peaks in the second and subsequent chromatograms were eluted too early. Our conclusion was that the most likely cause was insufficient equilibration time between...

I recently had an “Ask the Doctor” question that went something like this: “I need to report impurities for my product at levels of 0.1-0.5% of the main ingredient. Occasionally when I show my folks my chromatograms, I’m accused of making the sample...

A reader asked me when it is appropriate or necessary to premix mobile phases when on-line mixing is available. For example, if a gradient is run from 95/5 buffer/organic (5% B) to 5/95 buffer/organic (95% B), should one bottle contain 95% buffer...

A reader asks, “I have a nice isocratic method for compound A, which elutes at about 8 min, so I can inject a new sample every 10 min. Occasionally, however, my samples contain another compound B that comes out at about 40 min. I have no way of...

A reader is trying to figure out the fate of a pesticide in water. For the test, he takes a soil sample (e.g., 5 g) and adds 100 mL of an aqueous solution containing 10 ppm of a pesticide. He takes 1 mL aliquots of the liquid phase each hour and...

What do you do if you receive the gift of an HPLC system of unknown breeding? In a recent enquiry, a reader indicated that when he moved into a new lab, the prior occupants left an HPLC system sitting on the bench. They thought it was working well...

How do you go about recovering a column that you suspect has some problems? Or perhaps you’ve pulled a used column off the shelf and want to make sure that it will work OK. Do you just dust it off before trying it, or is there a better approach?...

A question that comes up now and then in our Master Classes is how to figure out the volume of an HPLC column. I’d like to share a couple of rules of thumb that I find very useful for estimating column volume, V_M. Figuring out the volume inside the...

Did you ever feel like someone was out to get you? I remember the story one of my Master Class students told about leaving on a vacation. She left instructions with her lab mate to shut down her HPLC system the following morning after all the...

A reader recently asked, “The flow cell on my UV detector is completely blocked with some kind of white substance. I tried using a syringe to flush with water and with isopropanol, but neither was successful (and the process was very slow). The...