HPLC

In this month's "Column Watch," Majors recounts some of the more interesting paper and poster presentations given at HPLC '99, held May 30–June 4, in Grenada, Spain.

Inadequate mobile-phase gassing may be the single largest cause of LC problems. Columnist Dolan examines bubble-problem sources and techniques that analysts can use to eliminate excess gas in the mobile phase.

The authors describe the results they've achieved by using water heated to 100–240 ºC as a liquid eluent for reversed-phase HPLC instead of an organic modifier. They point out that this alternative avoids many of the problems – toxicity, flammability, and cost – associated with organic modifiers.

The authors evaluate a new chiroptical detector's sensitivity for various chiral compounds, linear dynamic range, and relative response with different solvents.

A simple modification of the standard HPLC autosampler flow path enables automated sampling and analysis of samples outside the autosampler unit when users cannot place the sample container inside because of size restrictions.

Peak shape problems don't always have a single solution.

With the goal of developing an analytical method for the fast analysis of vitamins in a complex matrix, the authors created a method that used in-line and complementary HPLC with photodiode-array and MS detection techniques.