Methods for the experimental characterization and analysis of the efficiency and speed of chromatographic columns: A step-by-step tutorial

• The van Deemter equation indicates the performance of an LC column.
• Band broadening is split into its different contributions and estimated separately.
• Kinetic performance of columns is also studied through kinetic plots.
• An Excel template that allows an easy LC column characterization is provided.

Due to the developing insights in the theory of chromatography, column manufacturers of any kind (industrial, academic) nowadays have a broad array of experimental column testing tools at their disposal. The present tutorial aims at helping the novice in the field getting an overview of these tools and provides a fixed procedure to carry out the subsequent steps in the column quality analysis (guided via an Excel template file). After some brief introduction about the main equations, the reader is taken step by step through the theories underlying the measurement methods for the different column and performance parameters. In the final section, the reader is taken through the different items in the Excel template.

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