Gel Permeation Chromatography is witnessing wider applications in the pharmaceutical sector with continuous research and development activities

 

Gel Permeation Chromatography is an effective analytical method used to separate highly sensitive molecules by size, depending on their concentration in a column made of a gel-like medium. In this process, the sample is poured into the column, which may include a semi-permeable membrane or a selective column designed to adsorb certain size classes of substances. The column is primed before use and maintained at specific concentrations for a pre-set period of time. The sample is recovered after retention time and analyzed on a GE Healthcare spectrophotometer.

Many industries employ this technique as a way of obtaining reliable data on the composition of key chemicals and other materials that cannot be detected by more conventional techniques. This is because this technique separates highly sensitive substances from the mass background of the chromatogram. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses can be obtained from this method. Gel permeation chromatogram (GPC), a compound of chromatography, is one of the two general-based GPC methods, which relies on the use of a column to trap sample particles on the surface of the column.

In the GPC process, the sample is dispersed on the top of the column through an activated carbon filter. A highly permeable layer of gel, composed of amino acids or DNA, is then located on the flat surface of the column. These positively charged particles adhere to the surface of the column and push up through the column. As the process continues, the molecules attain a stationary phase on the bottom of the column. Gel Permeation Chromatography has several advantages over traditional chromatography. The main advantage is that it can measure the concentration of analytes in samples that would be difficult if not impossible to do using other techniques. Another advantage is that it does not require the use of additional equipment, therefore making it very economical. It is also very versatile, as it can be applied to a number of different applications.