ABSTRACT
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is a common analytical technique that is used to determine a wide range of organic compounds. Its application is widespread in industries such as dyes, paints, and pharmaceuticals. More than two-thirds of all organic compounds can be analyzed using HPLC methods. Its application in environmental analyses, however, has been relatively recent. Only a limited number of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods are based on HPLC techniques. The basic components of an HPLC system are a pump with a constant flow control, a high-pressure injection valve, a chromatographic column, a detector, and a strip-chart recorder or a data system for measuring peak areas and retention times. Fluorescence detectors are commonly used in many HPLC analyses. Absorbance detectors such as UV rays, or a photodiode array detector (PDAD), or a fluorescence detector is used in HPLC determination. When using PDAD, interference can occur from many organic compounds at the shorter wavelengths, at which they absorb light.
