Up Coming Events
March Meeting Trenton Local Section
March 16, 2010
Speaker:
Guy Harris
Technical Support Manager
Dynamic Extractions, Inc.
Topic: “Modern Countercurrent Chromatography – Beyond Art, Myth, and Folklore”
Abstract:
Location: The College of New Jersey, Science Complex Chemistry Wing, C122A for Dinner, C121 for lecture
Time: Pizza Dinner is at 6:00 pm
Notice: Parking is available in any of the commuter Lots 3 and 4. http://www.tcnj.edu/~sfs/parking/map.html
Please contact Benny Chan at chan@tcnj.edu by February 22, 2010 to make reservations for dinner ($5 for members payable at the seminar).
Abstract:
Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is the purest form of liquid-liquid partition chromatography. The CCC column simply consists of a biphasic mixture of liquids known as a solvent system. To create a usable chromatography column one of the immiscible phases of the solvent system is retained by centrifugal force in the CCC instrument and the other is passed through it. Separations result from differing distribution ratios of sample components between the two phases of the solvent system. CCC complements the more commonly used preparative scale separation methods of reverse phase HPLC and SFC by means of an orthogonal separation mechanism. Resolution is achieved by altering selectivity rather than increasing efficiency. Furthermore, the lack of a solid stationary phase results in total sample recovery for sensitive compounds, a variety of possible operating modes, and, increasingly importantly, provides lower overall separation costs. Historically CCC has generally been regarded as the “method of last resort” for everyday chromatographers and thus its use has been limited to those skilled in the art. Historically, chromatographers have either been ignorant of CCC or regarded it as a “method of last resort” and its use has been restricted to those skilled in the art. This has been due to a relatively high learning curve for solvent system development and the lack of robust, reliable instrumentation for industrial use. Modern instrumentation, available only in the past few years, and increased understanding of the fluid mechanics of the process are allowing the technique to progress beyond art, myth, and folklore.