Delivering large quantities of high purity compounds in the shortest possible time is the goal of a purification chemist. Two of the most popular purification techniques are Automated Flash Column Chromatography (AFCC) and Preparative HPLC. Traditionally, AFCC is characterized by the ability to load large amounts of material and short purification times, while Prep HPLC is valued for high resolution separations resulting in very pure products. As a result, AFCC is typically used as a complementary technique whereby the crude sample is enhanced to a higher level of purity before final purification using Prep HPLC.With the recent advances in AFCC instruments and cartridges, the gap between 'high speed' flash purification and 'high efficiency' Preparative HPLC purification is rapidly shrinking. In many cases AFCC can deliver large quantities of product comparable in purity to Prep HPLC, with significantly less time and expense.In this study, we evaluate the productivity advantages of AFCC over Prep HPLC, in terms of time, solvent and cost savings. We also demonstrate the benefits of AFCC both as a complementary technique to Prep HPLC, as well as a highly versatile stand-alone technique to deliver high purity separations in a cost-effective manner.

Comparative evaluation of automated flash chromatography and preparative HPLC for bench-scale purification of a broad range of sample types

246th National Meeting (2013)

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