High Performance Liquid Chromatography

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is a widely used analytical technique. It is a separation process involving mass-transfer between the stationary phase, which is the packing material in an HPLC column and the mobile phase, which is the solvent system applied to the column. HPLC utilizes a liquid mobile phase to resolve mixtures. First, the mixture is dissolved in a solvent and then forced at high pressure through the column. The components are resolved based on the extent of interaction between the solute components and the stationary phase. These interactions can be manipulated through different choices of both solvents and stationary phases. HPLC is a simple yet versatile method with applications including separation, identification, purification, and quantification of various compounds.

The Green Chemistry lab is equipped with a Hewlett Packard 1090 HPLC. Employing a variety of columns, we have applied this instrument in the analysis of plant extracts, monitoring the progress of chemical reactions and the analysis of engine oil additives and breakdown products.