Research scientists from Schering-Plough Research Institute developed a rapid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique that allows for efficient separation and analysis of pharmaceutical compounds.

The method uses a short column packed with 2.7μm “fused-core” silica particles that are made by fusing a 0.5μm layer of porous silica onto a solid silica particle[1]. These unique particles enable very rapid chromatographic separation at a relatively low backpressure.

Ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) is another chromatographic technique that allows the system to handle the high backpressure resulting from the stationary phase with sub-2μm particles. UHPLC offers advantages in chromatographic resolution, speed, and sensitivity over conventional HPLC systems.

Newly developed fast HPLC technology is comparable with UHPLC in terms of chromatographic performance but requires neither expensive ultra-high-pressure instrumentation nor new laboratory protocols.

1. “Fused-Core Silica Column High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometric Determination of Rimonabant in Mouse Plasma”, Yunsheng Hsieh et la., Analytical Chemistry, DOI: 10.1021/ac070343g

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