Merck KGaA starts world-wide launch of Chromolith HPLC Columns
The new HPLC column can separate the most complex substance mixtures into their components at maximum speed.
London, 02.10.2000 - This world novelty has a black plastic coating, is light and slim and can be up to 10 cm long - the new monolithic columns developed by Merck researchers for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are called Chromolith Performance and Chromolith SpeedROD. Merck launches the new columns in Europe, Japan and the USA at the International Symposium on chromatography, ISC 2000, starting in London today.
The best of chromatography columns: Chromolith Performance is capable of separating the most complex of mixtures into their components - rapidly and accurately. "Conventional HPLC columns take about an hour to separate a mixture comprising some 33 different pesticides. Chromolith Performance can do this in less than 15 minutes" says researcher Dr. Karin Cabrera. "And if even more complex mixtures have to be separated, the Chromolith Performance columns can be joined together to a length of up to 1 m. Separating performance is hence maximised".
As in the case of its sister column Chromolith SpeedROD, the Chromolith Performance column is made of a porous silica gel skeleton. The differently sized large and small pores are created using a new, patented "Sol-gel" process involving highly purified, metal-free alkoxy-silanes.
Separating columns for high-performance liquid chromatography are indispensable in the analytical laboratory. Conventional columns are filled with tiny matrix particles and separate substance mixtures into their component parts. The separating effect is generated by the fact that the various components of the mixture require different lengths of time to pass through the column. Today, such separations have to be both quick and precise.
Merck has provided the solution in the form of the Chromolith Column: Monolithic and not particulate in structure, the Chromolith Performance column, just as the Chromolith SpeedRod, has a total porosity of over 80%. The sophisticated pore structure of the carrier material generates a very low backpressure in the column. This minimal column pressure allows high flow rates of up to 9 ml/min to be achieved. The result: Up to a 9 times higher sample throughput compared with conventional HPLC columns.
Chromolith Performance is suitable for high-throughput analysis in all areas of science where a large number of samples have to be analysed. This is important in the pharmaceutical industry drug discovery process during the search for new active substances. However it is also highly relevant for both the rapid analysis of environmental or food industry samples where fast and accurate results are directly linked to the safety of water, soils or food products. Because both Chromolith SpeedROD and Chromolith Performance are fundamentally still made from a silica matrix it is relatively easy to transfer existing methods from conventional HPLC columns, without involving extensive new method development work.
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HPLC is a key technology in modern analytical chemistry. It enables the separation, identification and quantification of components in complex mixtures with high precision and efficiency. Whether in the analysis of active pharmaceutical ingredients, the quality control of foodstuffs or the examination of biological samples - HPLC is often the method of choice for demanding separation tasks.
Topic world HPLC
HPLC is a key technology in modern analytical chemistry. It enables the separation, identification and quantification of components in complex mixtures with high precision and efficiency. Whether in the analysis of active pharmaceutical ingredients, the quality control of foodstuffs or the examination of biological samples - HPLC is often the method of choice for demanding separation tasks.
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Topic World Chromatography
Chromatography enables us to separate, identify and thus understand complex substances. Whether in the food industry, pharmaceutical research or environmental analysis - chromatography opens up a treasure trove of information about the composition and quality of our samples. Discover the fascinating world of chromatography!
