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How does liquid chromatography use a liquid mobile phase?
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chromatography
Overview of the chemical technique of chromatography.
In liquid chromatography, the liquid mobile phase serves as the carrier that transports the sample through a stationary phase, which is typically a porous solid packed into a column or spread on a flat surface.12
The process functions through the following mechanisms:
- Transport: The sample is injected into the system and carried through the column by the flowing liquid mobile phase.12
- Distribution: As the mobile phase moves, the components of the sample distribute themselves between the liquid mobile phase and the stationary phase based on their relative affinities for each.12
- Separation: Components that have a stronger attraction to the stationary phase move more slowly, while those with a weaker attraction are flushed through the system more rapidly by the mobile phase.1
- Gradient Elution: To manage samples with varying retention levels, the composition—and thus the polarity—of the mobile phase can be continuously altered during the process to improve separation efficiency.3
Because the mobile phase is a liquid, this method does not require the sample to be vaporized, allowing for the analysis of a broad range of substances, including proteins, drugs, and inorganic ions.2