Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The median of the chromatographic peak as the best measure of retention time

  • Originals
  • Published:
Chromatographia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

When attempts are made to measure accurately the retention time (or volume) in elution chromatography, a choice must be made: which point of the peak should be used as the reference point for the measurement? Usually, the peak maximum is used, but the first statistical moment (the centre of gravity; the mean) is generally considered to be theoretically better. In this work, it is shown that the correct point is the median of the peak. This is proved in the case of linear, non-ideal equilibrium chromatography, when the true retention time and the median exactly coincide, which is not the case for the mean or the maximum.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

A:

number of moles injected [mole]

c:

concentration [mole m−1]

D:

diffusion constant [m2s−1]

k′:

capacity factor

L:

column length [m]

t:

time [s]

u:

carrier gas velocity [ms−1]

z:

distance from column inlet [m]

References

  1. D. C. Locke, Adv. Chromatogr.14, 87 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  2. J. R. Conder andC. I. Young, “Physicochemical Measurement by Gas Chromatography”, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1979, ch. 2.

    Google Scholar 

  3. J. Villermaux, J. Chromatogr.83, 205 ((1973).

    Google Scholar 

  4. C. F. Ivory andR. L. Bratzler, J. Chromatogr.198, 354 (1980).

    Google Scholar 

  5. J. Å. Jönsson, J. Chromatogr150, 11 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  6. L. Lapidus andN. R. Amundsen, J. Phys. Chem.56, 984 (1952).

    Google Scholar 

  7. E. Glueckauf, Trans. Farad. Soc.51, 34 (1955).

    Google Scholar 

  8. E. Kučera andO. Grubner, Coll. Czech. Chem. Commun.29, 1782 (1964).

    Google Scholar 

  9. E. Kučera, J. Chromatogr.19, 237 (1965).

    Google Scholar 

  10. J. J. Carberry, Nature 189, 391 (1961).

    Google Scholar 

  11. O. Grubner andD. Underhill, J. Chromatogr.73, 1 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  12. M. T. Wasan, Queen's Paper on Pure and Applied Mathematics 19 (1969).

  13. T. S. Sørensen, J. Chromatogr.88, 197 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  14. J. Å. Jönsson, Chromatographia13, 729 (1980).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Lund, P.O.Box 740, S-220 07, Lund, Sweden

    J. Å. Jönsson

Authors
  1. J. Å. Jönsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jönsson, J.Å. The median of the chromatographic peak as the best measure of retention time. Chromatographia 14, 653–654 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02291106

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02291106

Key Words

Search

Navigation