Strongly Adsorbing Analytes: What, Why, and How to Fix It

In many applications of liquid chromatography (LC), excellent peak shapes are observed with simple, easy-to-use mobile phases and operating conditions. However, some specific combinations of analyte and LC column chemistry can lead to terrible peak shapes and even total adsorption of analytes to components of the LC system such that no peaks are observed at all. In this installment of 'LC Troubleshooting', I discuss two specific cases where an understanding of specific interactions between particular analyte functional groups and LC instruments or column materials is critical to achieving successful separations.
For many applications, liquid chromatography (LC) is a fantastically successful analytical technique. I often share with my students that LC instruments are found in so many laboratories because LC can [...]