ABSTRACT
The most commonly used detectors in LC are concentration-sensitive. The detector output signal is a function of the concentrations of the analytes passing through the detector cell. In order to use the information for quantitation, the detector must respond linearly to changes in concentration over a wide concentration range, which is called the linear dynamic range of the detector. Criteria for the evaluation of the quality or the suitability of the detector are as follows: the magnitude of the linear dynamic range, the noise level, the sensitivity, and the selectivity. The sensitivity is determined by the specific characteristics of the analytes and by the extent to which these differ from the characteristics of the sample matrix. The most important parameters are noise, drift, detection limit (sensitivity), selectivity, stability, and compatibility with various elution modes.
