The General Guidelines of the Flash Column Chromatography
Flash column chromatography is an efficient way to separate complex mixtures of compounds in the lab. we use compressed air to push the solvent through the column when we are running flash columns. It can help provide better separation and cut down the running time as while.
A flash column with high-quality must-have features of high flow rates for fast purification of target compounds, reliable, consistent performance from automated precision packing, and various column sizes available for purifying milligrams to several grams. With tightly controlled water content, our flash column can fit standard Luer-Lock perfectly, connected with prepacked and empty columns both for the choice of the full range of volume. We have the best silica gel columns with a design that avoids umber-some, expensive adapters, valves, and other accessories.
Machine-packed with ultra-pure sorbents, our flash columns are the best silica gel columns for flash purification of organic compounds with the highest resolution and duplicability for normal-phase separations in the lab.
When the flash column works, the upper interface generally has a gas/liquid (with a certain pressure) to speed up the sample separation process. It operates at pressures of 50 -200 psi, as compared to HPLC, which operates at 1000s of psi, and UHPLC which operates above 10,000 psi. The flash column is the primary purification technique used in organic synthesis and industrial applications because it is fast (Flash!), it is easy to use and it is versatile.
The method of flash column chromatography is to separate the components from the mixture and purify it. In short, fast column chromatography makes samples go through gel-filled columns, and the gels help make the separation. The founders of fast column chromatography at first wanted to find a method to overcome the shortcomings of long column chromatography, such as time-consuming and low recovery.
The gel used initially for packing columns is silica gel, which is still widely used. People push solvents through silica gel flash columns by air pressure. And then they add the samples in it and push samples through the columns. The components needed to be collected and purified will appear during the process of elution.
Since silica gel, flash column chromatography is widely used in organic chemistry, the guidelines are important when you try to get better sample quantity results. The flow rate depends on different column lengths and widths, and the properties of the gel as well.
You can figure out that the longer and narrower columns will provide more theoretical plates, and slow the flow rate at the same time. And the resolution is also affected by the stationary phase. If the stationary phase or the gel which lines the column is more homogenous and has a smaller particle size as well, you can get better resolution. Smaller particle size which means more surface area leads to a better resolution.
It’s very complex to control all these factors to optimize purity and recovery of components because the factors work with each other, but have different effects if tested individually. You can find mobile phase selectivity has the largest effect on the resolution, but it depends on the column capacity as well. the solvent that you choose can affect the resolution too.
Flash column chromatography has been widely used in organic chemistry since its advent. However, there are still some problems when using the method. The increasing sample size will result in a lower resolution. The best velocity depends on the length and width of the column and the properties of the gel. The resolution is affected by the stationary phase.
How does the Flash column work
The working principle is the same as the liquid chromatography separation by selective adsorption and selective elution. The frequently used method is to pass the liquid sample solution through the adsorbent, retain the substance to be tested, use the appropriate strength solvent to wash away the impurities, and then quickly elute the test substance with a small amount of solvent, thereby achieving the purpose of rapid separation, purification, and concentration. It is also possible to selectively adsorb the interfering impurities and let the measured substance flow out, or simultaneously adsorb the impurities and the tested substance, and then selectively elute the test substance with a suitable solvent.
Hawach provides Empty Flash Columns, Spherical C18 Flash Columns, Spherical C8 Flash Columns, Spherical CN Flash Column, Spherical Phenyl Flash Column, and other flash columns for your choice.
