High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) operates by pumping a liquid sample through a chromatographic column packed with a stationary phase, typically consisting of small porous particles. The sample components are separated based on differences in their affinity for the stationary phase and the mobile phase, which is typically a liquid solvent or a mixture of solvents. HPLC offers high resolution, sensitivity, and versatility, making it suitable for analyzing a wide range of compounds, including small molecules, biomolecules, pharmaceuticals, and natural products. Different modes of HPLC, such as reverse-phase, normal-phase, ion-exchange, and size-exclusion chromatography, allow for the separation of diverse analytes with varying polarities, charges, and sizes. HPLC can be coupled with various detectors, including UV-Vis, fluorescence, mass spectrometry, and refractive index detectors, to enable detection and quantification of separated analytes. HPLC is widely used in pharmaceuticals, environmental analysis, food and beverage, clinical diagnostics, and research laboratories for quality control, process monitoring, and research purposes. Continuous advancements in column technology, instrumentation, and data analysis software improve the efficiency, sensitivity, and speed of HPLC analysis, further expanding its applications in diverse scientific disciplines.