Preparative liquid chromatograph

A preparative liquid chromatograph comprising:

• a liquid delivery pump for feeding a mobile phase;
• a separation column fluidly connected downstream of the liquid delivery pump and for separating components in a sample from each other;
• a detector fluidly connected downstream of the separation column to detect peaks of the components separated from each other by the separation column;
• a plurality of liquid handlers each including an injecting part configured to function as an injector, which is for executing injection operation of a sample into the mobile phase, when fluidly connected between the liquid delivery pump and the separation column, and a collecting part configured to function as a fraction collector, which is for executing collection operation of peaks of the components separated from each other in the separation column, when fluidly connected downstream of the detector, wherein the injecting part includes a needle for performing suction and dispensation of a sample, the collecting part includes a probe for dropping eluate from the separation column to a collection container, each of the plurality of liquid handlers have single moving mechanism and are configured so that the needle and the probe are three-dimensionally moved together by the moving mechanism, a separation channel is fluidly connected using one of the plurality of liquid handlers when the injecting part of the one of the plurality of liquid handlers is inserted between the liquid delivery pump and the separation column and the collecting part of the one of the plurality of liquid handlers is fluidly connected downstream of the detector;
• a plurality of switching valves for selectively switching a liquid handler used for fluidly connecting the separation channel among the plurality of liquid handlers;
• and
• a controller for controlling operation of the plurality of liquid handlers and the plurality of switching valves, the controller being configured to use the plurality of liquid handlers for fluidly connecting the separation channel in predetermined order, to cause each of the liquid handlers to execute the injection operation and the collection operation, and to sequentially execute separation and collection of a plurality of samples allocated to each of the plurality of liquid handlers,
• wherein the controller is configured to cause each of the plurality of liquid handlers to execute preparation operation for the injection operation while another one of the liquid handlers is used for fluidly connecting the separation channel, and to execute the injection operation immediately after being used for fluidly connecting the separation channel.