Centrifugal Partition Chromatography. I. General Features

Abstract

Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) is a variant of countercurrent chromatography (CCC). As in CCC, two immiscible liquids are used. The first liquid is the stationary phase, the second is the mobile phase. The liquid stationary phase is held in channels engraved in several polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) plates. One hundred channels are engraved on each PCTFE plate. Four PCTFE plates are assembled together in a cartridge. Up to 12 cartridges (4800 channels) can be loaded in the rotor of a centrifuge. The centrifugal field, generated by the spinning rotor, holds the stationary phase sufficiently that a mobile phase can be pumped through it. This system is analyzed in detail. The stationary phase evolution versus time is studied. A complete derivation is made of the relationship linking system pressure to the spin and flow rate as well as to the physico-chemical properties of the two liquids, i.e., density and viscosity.