ABSTRACT
Size exclusion chromatography (SEC), gel filtration chromatography (GFC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) are chromatographic techniques based on discrimination by differences in the size of the analytes. GFC uses an aqueous mobile phase and GPC an organic mobile phase. The general term SEC covers both uses. GFC was first applied in 1959 at the University of Uppsala by Porath and Flodin (1), who showed that proteins were separated as a function of their molecular weight on porous dextran beads because of their (partial) exclusion by the pores. Similarly, GPC was first employed in 1964 by Moore at Dow Chemical Company, who demonstrated the separation of organic soluble polymers on a column packed with a cross-linked polystyrene gel using an organic solvent as the mobile phase (2). Following their discoveries, GFC and GPC developed quickly
zv46 into accepted laboratory techniques through the availability of commercial supplies of agarose-and polystyrene-based packing materials.
