Measurement of the parameters of the mass transfer kinetics in high performance liquid chromatography

Fundamental studies of the mass transfer kinetics are as essential as those of the retention equilibrium for a detailed understanding of the characteristics and the mechanisms of chromatographic separations. The acquisition of a large amount of reliable experimental data and of meaningful results is necessary for any further progress of our knowledge of kinetics. The main goal of this review is to provide information on the methods used to perform accurate measurements and on the data analysis procedures used for deriving the kinetic parameters characterizing mass transfer in HPLC. First, the general characteristics of several methods of determination of some kinetic parameters are briefly reviewed. Secondly, we give detailed explanations of the experimental conditions of the pulse on a plateau method (i.e., elution chromatography on a plateau of finite concentration or pulse response method) and of the data analysis procedures based on moment analysis. Thirdly, we explain some important requirements for the acquisition of appropriate experimental data and discuss corrections to be applied when deriving several kinetic parameters. Fourthly, we discuss the accuracy of the kinetic parameters derived from the pulse on a plateau method and from moment analysis. Finally, some results concerning the mass transfer kinetics in RPLC systems are demonstrated as examples.