Performance of microparticulate porous silica in high speed high resolution gel permeation chromatography

Abstract

AbstractHigh performance gel permeation chromatography with silica microsphere packings can give accurate molecular weights when the experimental conditions are properly selected. Linear calibrations covering the molecular weight range of most common interest in the analysis of commercial polymers can be obtained with column arrangements of only 75 cm length, so that the analysis times are short and the calculations of the average molecular weights and molecular weight distributions are simplified. The silica packing employed in this investigation has better performance than other microparticulate packings used in high‐speed GPC. With the normal flow rates employed in high‐speed GPC (0.5–1 cm3/min) the molecular weights of polymers with a narrow molecular weight distribution must be corrected for spreading, whereas accurate values can be obtained for polymers with a broad distribution without correction of the chromatograms.