Process scale high-performance liquid chromatography Part I: An optimisation procedure to maximise column efficiency

Summary Scale up of analytical High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to the process scale offers promise as a preferred separation method for many high value fine chemicals, both for development purposes and continuous production. It's early adoption is curtailed by the widely held perception that preparative HPLC is a low efficiency high cost technique of limited application. This view has largely beeen generated by the generalised use of large particle size, low quality angular silica supports, and difficulties with packing methodologies. A systematic study of a new silica, in new axially compressed equipment using Plackett-Burman statistics, has demonstrated that very high efficiences, leading to high capacities, can be attained. This work was conducted in the Chemical Technology Unit, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, UK.