ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the use of special solvents and chemicals as well as equipment for the analysis of lipids is an important feature of the techniques. Nonpolar lipids such as triacylglycerols are bound in tissues to other lipids or to the hydrophobic regions of proteins by relatively weak Van der Waals or hydrophobic bonds. The polarity of a lipid significantly affects its volatility, solubility and nonspecific binding to other polar materials. Polar molecules have an unbalanced distribution of electrons among their component atoms sufficient to produce a dipole. The alkali flame ionization detector is a version of flame ionization detector in which the presence of alkali atoms in the flame enhances sensitivity to nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing compounds about 10-fold. Adsorption chromatography depends on differences in the balance between the solubility of solutes in a mobile solvent and their adsorption to the surface of small solid particles over which the solution is passed.
