Influence of the peak height distribution on separation performances: Discrimination factor and effective peak capacity

Summary A new index of performance of the chromatographic separation between two adjacent peaks, the discrimination factor, d₀, is defined. It is normalized between 0 and 1 and is directly and easily determined from the chromatogram. It does not depend on any assumption regarding peak shape, except that the peak profiles of individual sample components have a single mode. Its value depends on the relative heights of the two peaks as well as on their separation. The separation power of a chromatographic system is classically measured by its peak capacity, defined on the basis of constant resolution between adjacent peaks. A previously developed statistical theory of the composition of mixtures makes it possible to extend the concept of peak capacity by taking into account the peak height distribution in typical average chromatograms. A new parameter, the effective peak capacity, is defined for this purpose on the basis of a constant discrimination factor between adjacent peaks. It allows to take into account the distribution of peak heights in statistical theories of the evaluation of complex chromatograms and in the measurement of the limit of determination in quantitative analysis. The characteristics of the two new parameters, the discrimination factor and effective peak capacity, are discussed and compared with those of their classical homologs, resolution and peak capacity, in the case of gaussian component peaks of equal widths.