Selective elution of tea catechins and caffeine from polyvinylpolypyrrolidone

Summary Desorption of catechins and caffeine from polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) was comprehensively investigated. The result showed that caffeine could easily be desorbed from PVPP by the tested solvents except n-hexane, while catechins could only be thoroughly done by dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Excellent desorption efficiency of DMSO and DMF might be attributed to their high dipole moments and H-bond potentials. Addition of ethanol was recommended considering the elution efficiency and fluidity, but ethanol volume should be