UHPLC and Conventional HPLC: A Comparison

摘要

During the Pittcon and Analytica trade shows new UHPLC systems have been released. This underlines a trend in liquid chromatography. Shimadzu as a leading manufacturer and supplier of both systems (e.g. the UHPLC system LC-30A Nexera and the LC-20A prominence series) compares the two technologies. Describing the major features of an UHPLC system normally starts with the extended system pressure capabilities, which are fundamental for achieving ultra high separation performance. They enable the use of small column particles (sub 2 micron particles) as stationary phase, since the associated back pressures can be handled with such systems. The pressure range of an UHPLC system is above 1000 bar which is seen as the critical point in the production of robust and reliable systems. In addition, this pressure range enables the use of long columns, delivering highest performance as measured on the number of theoretical plates for a specific separation.