Etudes theoriques et pratiques sur la realisation et le fonctionnement de colonnes preparatives de diametre moyen. Modification de la structure interne de ces colonnes

The dependence of the efficiency and productivity of preparative-scale gas-chromatographic columns on various parameters is discussed. The minimum HETP is experimentally shown to increase almost proportionally to the column diameter in the range 1–5 cm. The HETP also increases with a power of the sample amount which depends on the quality of the column packing and can be as low as 1.2. High-diffusivity carrier gases (H₂ and He) arc shown to allow a three-fold increase of columns productivity.The productivity (amount of sample separated/unit time) increases with the column diameter. Given a fixed volume of stationary phase and a known mixture, the column diameter which will accept the largest sample can be calculated. The performance of a preparative unit is limited more by the loadability of columns than by loss of efficiency witli increasing diameters. The performances of preparative columns can be improved by putting rods parallel to the column axis regularly spaced in the packing. The column can be heated internally cither for programmed temperature separations or to allow thermal equilibrium to be reached rapidly.