Modelling flow rate gradient elution in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

The fundamental equation of flow programming elution was tested in several different types of flow-rate gradients (step, linear, multilinear, parabolic and more combined gradients) implemented in the separation of two multicomponent mixtures of solutes. The retention prediction obtained for all solutes under all flow-programmed conditions was excellent. In addition, although flow programming appears quite limited in its ability to provide improved performance in liquid chromatography, there are specific flow-rate profiles which provide significant improvement in the rearrangement of the peaks within a chromatogram.