Flow particle image analyser is providing valuable information on the particle size, shape, and distribution of packing materials for column chromatography
Malvern Instruments's flow particle image analyser - the FPIA-2100 - is providing valuable information on the particle size, shape, and distribution of packing materials for column chromatography, the company reports.
Widely used in the biotech industry, column chromatography provides an important means of separating and purifying complex mixtures.
The resolving power of a column is largely dependent on the size of the particles used in the packing matrix.
Digital image analysis with the FPIA-2100 helps optimise the resolving power by monitoring particle size and shape so that the packing density of the column can be controlled.
It also helps in the tracing of damaged (non-spherical) particles that regularly occur if the operating pressure is raised too high in an attempt to increase resolution. A versatile, easy-to-use instrument, the FPIA-2100 produces scattergram plots of size against shape.
These scattergrams provide an effective method of "fingerprinting" materials, enabling visual comparisons to be made between samples.
It is proving a valuable tool in numerous industries - toners, abrasives, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food, and now column-packing materials - where particle size and shape are important parameters with a profound influence on the quality of the final product.
