Chromatography in pore networks II — The role of structure and adsorption in the band broadening

Summary The complex intraparticle structure typical of chromatographic column packings has been analyzed by use of an equivalent network model which emphasizes pore size distribution and connectivity. Special attention is given as to the way in which diffusion and adsorption interact and display modified peak spreading characteristics according to the morphology of the pore space. This study reveals a very significant increase in the column band broadening over that expected from physical adsorption which can arise from particular distributions of pore sizes. This has implications for designing packings which take advantage of the separating power due to adsorption but do not compromise the resolution of the chromatographic system.