Applications of microwave radiation to chromatographic separations
OwnerMark A. Stoneinventor
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Abstract
A method of applying microwave radiation to a chromatography column to achieve turbulent chromatography, increase the speed of column equilibration following a change of mobile phase, facilitate faster mixing of fluids, reduce the viscosity of fluids, and apply temperature pulses to selected time segments of a separation. The method may be used in conjunction with the use of columns packed with fused-core particles or monolithic columns. Improved size-based separations may be achieved using diffusion-and-turbulent-dependent size exclusion chromatography.
Claims18
A method of enhancing turbulent flow chromatography in liquid or supercritical fluid separations for both retained and unretained solutes, comprising the step of applying microwave radiation to the chromatography column so as to enhance the molecular motion of the mobile phase molecules, lower the viscosity of the mobile phase, cause increased molecular motion of the analyte molecules within the mobile phase, minimize the residual laminar layer within a turbulent mobile phase, and increase the molecular motion of analytes within the stationary phase.
An enthalpic method of enhancing turbulent column chromatography, comprising the steps of:
- providing a fused core or monolithic column;
- applying microwave radiation to the column;
- and
- eluting analytes in reverse order of molecular weight, such that larger molecules elute earlier than smaller molecules.
A method of enhancing turbulent column chromatography, comprising the step of applying microwave radiation to a chromatography column following a change of the mobile phase in a re-equilibration stage of a gradient run in either liquid or supercritical fluid chromatography so as to increase the rate of mass transfer and the speed of column equilibration.
A method of enhancing turbulent column chromatography, comprising the step of applying microwave radiation to a chromatography column to increase the speed at which two or more liquid or supercritical phases mix uniformly.
The method of claim 19, further including the steps of:
- using carbon dioxide as the primary mobile phase;
- and
- adding a polar liquid modifier to change the polarity or density of the mobile phase, or to interact with and pacify active sites on the column.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.