Application of photodiode array ultraviolet detector to unresolved peak analysis

Abstract

Poorly resolved chromatographic peaks have been mathematically resolved to give all component peaks of a multicomponent sample, using a newly developed 32-channel multiwavelength spectrophotometric UV detector and its data processor. In order to isolate poorly resolved peaks quantitatively, three-dimensional chromatographic data were stored on a floppy disk and computed by a data processor. A mathematical method of simultaneous multicomponent analysis for UV spectra was applied to all the points along the time axis. The results obtained have been compared with those by conventional perpendicular-dropping and tangential-skimming methods for known amounts of components. Recoveries obtained by the new method were 100.7 and 101.1%, while those by the conventional methods wer 89.9 and 110.1%, and 126.8 and 26.4%, respectively, by perpendicular dropping and tangential skimming. The detection of a hidden component in a chromatogram and determination of its UV spectrum was also investigated.