Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC) is an attractive method of preparative chromatography for the preparation of pure enantiomers. It achieves highly efficient separations at faster speeds than HPLC. The apparent complexity of SFC is mostly due to considerable differences between the roles of pressure and density in SFC and HPLC. In SFC, the mobile phase compressibility is high, depends on the local pressure and so does the density. The pressure, volume flow rate, and density vary along the column. Unfortunately, analysts can only control the column temperature, back pressure, and mass flow rate. Yet, the density profile along the column controls retention factors and column efficiency, parameters which cannot be controlled independently. Analysts need knowledge of this distribution, which is not intuitive. With practical examples, the presentation explains why the critical parameter in SFC is the kinematic viscosity of the mobile phase or ratio of its viscosity to its density.

Influence of the mobile phase density in supercritical fluid chromatography

244th National Meeting (2012)

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