Measuring Peak Capacity of Reversed-Phase Columns for Small Molecule Compounds Under Gradient Elution

The conventional approach to the measurement of peak capacity of reserved-phase columns under gradient elution assumes that all peaks have constant peak width, but this assumption can lead to inaccurate measurement of peak capacity. An integration approach employing a series of alkylphenones as model compounds was employed to more accurately measure the peak capacity for small molecule compounds under gradient elution. The base peak width of alkylphenones was plotted against retention time and a peak width function over retention time was established by polynomial regression. The peak capacity was then calculated by integrating the inverse of the peak width function over a gradient window. Compared to the conventional method, the integration method is not based on the assumption of equal peak width, thus providing a more accurate measurement of the peak capacity of reserved-phase columns, especially shorter ones packed with sub-2 μm particles under gradient elution.