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separates analytes on the basis of size. The technique is often used for the analysis of polymers. As
a technique, SEC was first developed in 1955 by Lathe and Ruthven. [1] The term gel permeation
chromatography can be traced back to J.C. Moore of the Dow Chemical Company who investigated
the technique in 1964 and the proprietary column technology was licensed to Waters Corporation,
who subsequently commercialized this technology in 1964. [2] GPC systems and consumables are
now also available from a number of manufacturers, including Agilent Technologies. It is often
necessary to separate polymers, both to analyze them as well as to purify the desired product.
When characterizing polymers, it is important to consider the polydispersity index (PDI) as well
the molecular weight. Polymers can be characterized by a variety of definitions for molecular weight
including the number average molecular weight (Mn), the weight average molecular weight (Mw)
(see molar mass distribution), the size average molecular weight (Mz), or the viscosity molecular
weight (Mv). GPC allows for the determination of PDI as well as Mv and based on other data, the Mn,
Mw, and Mz can be determined.
In physical and organic chemistry, the dispersity is a measure of the heterogeneity of sizes of
molecules or particles in a mixture. A collection of objects is called uniform if the objects have the
same size, shape, or mass. A sample of objects that have an inconsistent size, shape and mass
distribution is called non-uniform. The objects can be in any form of chemical dispersion, such as
particles in acolloid, droplets in a cloud,[1] crystals in a rock,[2] or polymer molecules in a solvent.
[3]
Polymers can possess a distribution of molecular mass; particles often possess a wide distribution
of size, surface area and mass; and thin films can possess a varied distribution of film thickness. [citation
needed]
IUPAC has deprecated the use of the term polydispersity index having replaced it with the
term dispersity, represented by the symbol (pronounced D-stroke[4]) which can refer to either
molecular mass or degree of polymerization. It can be calculated using the equation M= Mw/Mn,
where Mw is the weight-average molar mass and Mn is the number-average molar mass. It can also
be calculated according to degree of polymerization, where X = Xw/Xn, where Xw is the weightaverage degree of polymerization and Xn is the number-average degree of polymerization. In certain
limiting cases where M = X, it is simply referred to as . IUPAC has also deprecated the
termsmonodisperse, which is considered to be self-contradictory, and polydisperse, which is
considered redundant, preferring the termsuniform and non-uniform instead.[4]
Capillary electrophoresis is an analytical technique that separates ions based on their electrophoretic mobility with
the use of an applied voltage. The electrophoretic mobility is dependent upon the charge of the molecule, the
viscosity, and the atom's radius. The rate at which the particle moves is directly proportional to the applied electric
field--the greater the field strength, the faster the mobility. Neutral species are not affected, only ions move with the
electric field. If two ions are the same size, the one with greater charge will move the fastest. For ions of the same
charge, the smaller particle has less friction and overall faster migration rate. Capillary electrophoresis is used most
predominately because it gives faster results and provides high resolution separation. It is a useful technique
because there is a large range of detection methods available.1
Flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) channel cross section, where the rate of laminar flow within the channel is
not uniform. It travels in a parabolic pattern with the speed of the flow, increasing towards the centre of the
channel and decreasing towards the sides.