LCGC Europe-11-01-2018

Click the title above to open the LCGC Europe November 2018 regular issue in an interactive PDF format.

Is a mixer needed between the injector and column in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)?

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) are suitable for screening very polar trace organic compounds in environmental water samples. The polarity range of separable compounds in SFC is as broad as the polarity range of the serial coupling of reversed‑phase liquid chromatography and HILIC (reversed-phase LC–HILIC). In this article the orthogonality of SFC and reversed-phase LC–HILIC is assessed. It is shown that both techniques are highly orthogonal and complementary. The parallel use of the two techniques offers additional benefits for the compound monitoring of, for example, pharmaceuticals in surface waters, or the identification of unknown compounds in complex samples.

“The column is the heart of the separation.” Perhaps more accurately, the column is where the chemistry that generates a separation happens. For chemists and non-chemists alike, the chemistry that drives the utility of a column to solve a separation problem can be complex and confusing. Selectivity describes the ability of a column to effect a separation. This instalment of “GC Connections” focuses on selectivity, its definition, and its importance for generating separations and resolution. We will also see how selectivity is the concept that underlies the idea of column polarity. We begin by asking two simple questions about common observations, then extend these observations into a capillary gas chromatography (GC) column, and conclude with an introduction to methods for evaluating the quality, selectivity, and polarity of a stationary phase or column.

As this is the final “Sample Prep Perspectives” column of the year, it is fitting to assess the state of the field by taking a look back and a look forward.

The 47th International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques (HPLC 2018), chaired by Norman Dovichi, was held from 29 July to 2 August in Washington, D.C., USA. This instalment of “Column Watch” covers some of the highlights observed at the symposium. In addition, trends and perspectives on future developments in HPLC noted from the conference are presented.

The 43rd International Symposium on Capillary Chromatography (ISCC) and the 16th GC×GC Symposium will return to Fort Worth, Texas, USA,-the “Gateway to the West”-in 2019.

Tips on how to extend high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column lifetimes.