The Errors in the Treatment of Gel Permeation Chromatography Data: Origins and Corrections

Abstract

This paper deals with the origins of errors in data interpretation when using modern GPC with dual detection (refractometer-viscometer) as a method of determination of average molecular weights of polymers. We describe here the different errors classified in two groups: typical chromatographic errors and data treatment errors and we show that they can lead to very miscalculated molecular weight values. For every case, we have tried to propose the best way to avoid or correct these errors so as to use modern GPC as a very accurate method of polymer characterization.