New methods for spectrometric peak purity analysis in chromatography

Simple methods for peak purity analysis in chromatography are proposed for accurately assaying the chromatographic or electrophoretic process by spectroscopy. With these methods, the purity at each point of a chromatographic peak containing an unknown type and number of components can be detected and visualized. The 'absorbance (A) diagram is constructed by plotting the absorbance values of different wavelengths against each other. When only straight lines are obtained for different wavelength combinations, only one component was detected in the corresponding peak. Bent curves in the A diagrams mean that at least two components were registered. Straight lines in the absorbance difference quotient (ADQ) diagrams indicate that two components occur in the corresponding peak. Bent curves signify that at least three components were registered. The new methods are demonstrated using the HPLC technique for the separation of chlorogenic acid and epicatechin. Integral A and ADQ diagrams and the corresponding mean diagrams complete the new concept.