ABSTRACT
The advantages of microcolumns are most evident in the trace analysis of extremely small sample volumes (mass). The number of theoretical plates necessary to obtain the required separation of the sample components is the basic criterion for determining the length of the chromatographic column. In present-day microcolumn liquid chromatography, two main types of columns are used: long columns designed to obtain a large number of theoretical plates and short columns enabling the rapid analysis of less complex mixtures. Long columns are characterized by increasing pressure drop, short columns by increasing demands on minimization of extracolumn spaces. Photometric detectors are the most often used detectors in liquid chromatography with both conventional columns and microcolumns. To make full use of photometric detectors in microcolumn chromatography, necessary arrangements, mostly of the detector measuring cell and the effluent inlet from the column to the measuring cell, must be carried out.
