Chromatography Forum

I'm very new to HPLC and in the process of understanding the principles
of the instrument..

Could someone please explain the difference between purging and priming?

Both appear to be used in expelling air from the instrument..

Thank you.

They may appear to be the same function, and the result is the same, but the module is different.

1. You may 'prime the pump' by increasing the flow rate with the column offline. This will eliminate any air bubbles in the pump and allow its smooth operation flowing the mobile phase.

2. You may 'purge the detector flow cell' by increasing the flow rate with the column offline. This will eliminate any air bubbles in the detector and prevent nuisance spikes in the response.

Neither term is officially defined. HPLCchemist described the common usage.

I'll use this as a chance to mention that we are doing a "Live on the Web" course in March called "Getting Started in LC" that covers many of those sort of questions. Here's the link if you're interested:
http://lcresources.com/training/GSLC.html

HPLC Chemist: thank you for your clear explanation - it was difficult to find any information regarding the differences between the two.

tom jupille: thank you for the link and I believe it will greatly help me learn
more about LC.