HPLC separates the components of a mixture by passing a pressurized liquid through a column packed with a stationary phase. Different components move through the column at different rates, allowing them to be detected as distinct peaks.
Reading a chromatogram
- Each peak corresponds to a detected component.
- Peak area is used to estimate relative abundance.
- The main peak's area, divided by the total detected area, produces the area-percent purity value.
Chromatographic results are method-dependent. They characterize the tested sample only.
