Amount of Stationary Phase--Time Normalization Chromatography

Abstract
Time normalization chromatography is a powerful technique allowing the maximization of the resolution without a loss in the analysis time. In this method two operating conditions are changed simultaneously in such a manner as to keep the retention time of the last component constant. In this paper we shall report the effect of changing the amount of stationary phase (ASP) and the temperature and of changing the ASP and the carrier gas velocity on the resolution. In the former, theory predicts that the resolution will increase with decreasing ASP and temperature, providing that the relative retention dependence on the temperature is negative. Experiments in packed and capillary columns show that the resolution will indeed improve with the reduction in the ASP and temperature (under normalization conditions) even though the plate height, at low liquid phase loading, might increase due to adsorption and to column flooding with the solutes. In ASP-carrier velocity time normalization, theory predicts an optimum combination in the ASP and the mobile phase velocity which will maximize the resolution. Experimental results, using a packed and capillary column, support the theory. This mode of operation has ramifications in high speed chromatography, since the time to which the analysis is normalized can affect the actual resolution.