Factors Affecting the Gel-Permeation Chromatographic Fractionation of Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds

Abstract

The effects of polarity and stereochemistry of oxygen-containing, low-molecular-weight substances upon gel-permeation chromatographic separations are examined. The basis for these separations appears to be differences in molar volume, together with some small adsorptive effects. Recommendation are made for the application of this size-separation technique to the identification of commercially important glycols and to the assignment of sterochemical configurations to low-molecular-weight compounds. It is also suggested that GPC might be useful for the preparative resolution of enantiomer mixtures by first converting them to diastereomers and then making use of the fact that diastereomeric substances can have different molar volumes.