Streamlining of equipment: Hybrid system for preparative and analytical LC

When separating and purifying molecules by liquid chromatography (LC), it is necessary to develop the method with a preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. The purification process is often verified for quality and quantity of the products by analytical HPLC. In this case, two LC systems, a preparative and an analytical, are needed for a purification process and the following analysis.

In this technical note a combination of these two systems is shown. It describes in detail the system set up and the different method steps. The system is capable of isolating a single substance from a mixture and afterwards performing an automated purity analysis. For proof of concept, caffeine was purified from paracetamol and analysed within the same system.