Chromatography Forum

dear all,
for bioanalytical lab focussed on BE and BA studies, do the columns used for analysis need to be tested before start using it? my boss told me to do testing according to the specification given by the vendor but i get 68% of plates of what they claimed. can i reject the column? is there any guideline which mention the minimum number of theoretical plate for acceptance? or else is there any inhouse mthods to test it ?

with regard
pliva

do the columns used for analysis need to be tested before start using it?

I suppose that, strictly speaking, the answer is "no". However, if you have a bad column, you do not want to get the first inkling of disaster when you fail system suitability.

My general suggestion is that columns should be dedicated to particular analyses. When a new column is purchased, you should know what analysis it is intended for. Repeating the manufacturers' test is the minimum I would do. I would also run a "mini system suitability" by running a check sample to confirm that all the expected peaks are present within the correct retention time windows, with the expected plate count, tailing, etc. The column can then be flushed out with storage solvent and put on the shelf until needed.

i get 68% of plates of what they claimed. can i reject the column?

Eventually, yes, but I would first check to make sure that you don't have a problem with excessive extra-column volume or injection volume. These are expecially likely to be issues with narrow-bore columns of the kind frequently used for LC-MS.

or else is there any inhouse mthods to test it

Per my comment above, the best test is to run a check sample using your method. If you meet the system suitability requirements, then the column is suitable. If you don't, then it is unsuitable, regardless of the results with the manufacturer's test. Remember that the only thing you care about is whether the column will work for your method.

dear all,
for bioanalytical lab focussed on BE and BA studies, do the columns used for analysis need to be tested before start using it? my boss told me to do testing according to the specification given by the vendor but i get 68% of plates of what they claimed. can i reject the column? is there any guideline which mention the minimum number of theoretical plate for acceptance? or else is there any inhouse mthods to test it ?

with regard
pliva

thank you very much sir for your valuable sugestion