Problems of molecular adsorption chromatography

Abstract

In this review we have tried to show that molecular gas and liquid chromatography on adsorbents have a number of advantages for analytical and preparative applications. The vast amount of experimental data obtained on adsorbents with known and reproducible chemical and geometrical structure, together with the combined use of static and chromatographic methods, makes the development of a molecular theory of gas adsorption possible on the basis of molecular-statistics and semi-empirical, or effective, potential functions of intermolecular interactions. Advances made in this field so far warrant further applications of this theory to gas adsorption chromatography. Of practical interest is the fact that forecasts of certain parameters and phenomena can be made on the basis of this theory. The theory of adsorption from solutions and liquid chromatography has been developed to a lesser degree. However, here, too, the main qualitative aspects of this theory have been established. Further efforts should be made to develop the theory of adsorption from liquid solutions and apply this theory to equilibrium, non-equilibrium, molecular and macromolecular sieve liquid chromatography.