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High-Performance Gradient Elution - The Practical Application of the Linear-Solvent-Strength Model
Lloyd R. Synder, John W. Dolan
John Wiley and Sons, ISBN-13 978-0-471-70646-5 (2007). 461 pages
I'm one of those people who believe that having a good reference book to consult in times of need is still much more preferable to Googling the Internet. A good reference book takes you on the journey through the subject, yet provides sufficient detail to help understand and solve daily problems.
When I first started playing with chromatography, instrument manufacturers would often provide free substantial texts decribing the therory and literature with the instrument. These days chromaography is so diverse and pervasive that new books appear monthly.
So, what to buy?. When I first started, Introduction to Modern Liquid Chromatography by L.R. Synder and J.J. Kirkland was my preferred reference book, as it had been since I first encountered the second edition around 1980. By 1997, my preferred reference was the second edition of Practical HPLC Method Development by L.R. Synder, J.J. Kirkland, J.L. Glajch, however the growth of HPLC during the 1990s resulted in books on specialist topics.
Gradient chromatography is very important to my work. A book from two respected experts that offers to help chromatographers by utilising a theoretical model is very welcome, so I coughed up ~US$180 to obtain a copy here.
The preface explains how they use the Linear-Solvent-Strength model to bridge between isocratic and gradient separations, and how analyte behaviour is predictable. They also include a neat flow diagram to help readers jump to sections that are most relevant to their needs, possibly realising that some language in the body of text can be turgid. If the books is useful, I'll soon learn which pages I should go to, but having a quick-start guide is great.
I haven't managed to read any of the above books cover to cover, nor do I intend to, as I expect to be able to use the chapter titles and subsections, along with the Index, to find relevant information. The 8 page Contents with chapter subsections coded down to 1.2.3.4 levels, and 11 page Index with cross-referenced keywords, are excellent and very useful for quickly finding information.
Each chapter has extensive ( 20 - 140 ) references that are up-to-date and, not surprisingly, heavily weighted to the authors' previous works.
1. Introduction, 19 p. 11 figs. - excellent summary of key concepts - excellent.
2. Gradient Elution Fundamentals, 50 p. 27 figs - even I understood, covers main issues - excellent.
3. Method Development, 54 p. 22 figs - The core of the book, and uses figures well to demonstrate important aspects of the practical application of the model, and doesn't dig too deep into the maths or theory, and follows a simple flow from first trials to finetuning, with good discussion of exceptions that prove the rules. It only has 12 pages on computer simulation, which is 10 pages too much for me, but may be inadequate for those that want to delve into the topic. To be fair, the book is about practicality, and that objective is fully achieved.
4. Gradient Equipment 18 p. 6 figs. - good practical descriptions of what to consider when selecting a system, some good rules of thumb, and a subtle side-swipe at the manufacturers' use of electronics to sell full systems, even when providing modular systems.
5. Separation Artifacts and Troubleshooting 73p 43 figs - excellent discussion with plenty of figs. to demonstrate issues such as effect of wavelength and TFA on baseline drift for water-CH3CN gradient. Lots of useful information.
6. Separation of large molecules 50 p. 21 figs. - not of interest to me, seemed OK.
7. Preparative Separations 37 p. 16 figs. - mainly Touching-Peaks and Severely-Overloaded comparison, but does also note that often isocratic can be the most appropriate choice for simple preparative separations.
8. Other Applications of Gradient Elution 41 p. 19 figs. - mainly introductory stuff to LC-MS and HILIC gradients.
9. Theory and Derivations 41 p. 13 figs. All good eye-glazing stuff, seems to cover all relevant sections.
Appendices - Useful stuff, and the table of data for reversed-phase column selectivity and peak tailing in Appendix III is up-to-date, but I'm disappointed they didn't points towards a WWW site for subsequent updates.
Now, crunch time, will my investment improve my ability to solve gradient chromatography problems, and could it help you?.
For me, the answer is clearly yes, as chapters 1 - 5 have plenty of meat with good, practical examples. There are pages that my grubby paws will soon frequently stain. It's also good to get the updates on latest technology and general problem solving, and the Contents and Index make quick referencing very easy.
For you - that's a little more difficult. If you do a lot of gradient method development, the ~US$110 price is probably justified. If there was any likelihood that a third edition of Practical HPLC Method Development was imminent, I'd suggest waiting for that, as most of Chapters 1, 4, 5 and major parts of 2 and 3, are likely to be included.
If you don't have Practical HPLC Method Development, then spending the same money on the 1997 second edition would still be the best use of your money, followed by some of the specialist books on columns, solvents, and problem solving.
I hope you find this helpful, and if you disagree please add your views to counteract my jaundice. Please keep having fun,
Bruce Hamilton
Lloyd R. Synder, John W. Dolan
John Wiley and Sons, ISBN-13 978-0-471-70646-5 (2007). 461 pages
I'm one of those people who believe that having a good reference book to consult in times of need is still much more preferable to Googling the Internet. A good reference book takes you on the journey through the subject, yet provides sufficient detail to help understand and solve daily problems.
When I first started playing with chromatography, instrument manufacturers would often provide free substantial texts decribing the therory and literature with the instrument. These days chromaography is so diverse and pervasive that new books appear monthly.
So, what to buy?. When I first started, Introduction to Modern Liquid Chromatography by L.R. Synder and J.J. Kirkland was my preferred reference book, as it had been since I first encountered the second edition around 1980. By 1997, my preferred reference was the second edition of Practical HPLC Method Development by L.R. Synder, J.J. Kirkland, J.L. Glajch, however the growth of HPLC during the 1990s resulted in books on specialist topics.
Gradient chromatography is very important to my work. A book from two respected experts that offers to help chromatographers by utilising a theoretical model is very welcome, so I coughed up ~US$180 to obtain a copy here.
The preface explains how they use the Linear-Solvent-Strength model to bridge between isocratic and gradient separations, and how analyte behaviour is predictable. They also include a neat flow diagram to help readers jump to sections that are most relevant to their needs, possibly realising that some language in the body of text can be turgid. If the books is useful, I'll soon learn which pages I should go to, but having a quick-start guide is great.
I haven't managed to read any of the above books cover to cover, nor do I intend to, as I expect to be able to use the chapter titles and subsections, along with the Index, to find relevant information. The 8 page Contents with chapter subsections coded down to 1.2.3.4 levels, and 11 page Index with cross-referenced keywords, are excellent and very useful for quickly finding information.
Each chapter has extensive ( 20 - 140 ) references that are up-to-date and, not surprisingly, heavily weighted to the authors' previous works.
1. Introduction, 19 p. 11 figs. - excellent summary of key concepts - excellent.
2. Gradient Elution Fundamentals, 50 p. 27 figs - even I understood, covers main issues - excellent.
3. Method Development, 54 p. 22 figs - The core of the book, and uses figures well to demonstrate important aspects of the practical application of the model, and doesn't dig too deep into the maths or theory, and follows a simple flow from first trials to finetuning, with good discussion of exceptions that prove the rules. It only has 12 pages on computer simulation, which is 10 pages too much for me, but may be inadequate for those that want to delve into the topic. To be fair, the book is about practicality, and that objective is fully achieved.
4. Gradient Equipment 18 p. 6 figs. - good practical descriptions of what to consider when selecting a system, some good rules of thumb, and a subtle side-swipe at the manufacturers' use of electronics to sell full systems, even when providing modular systems.
5. Separation Artifacts and Troubleshooting 73p 43 figs - excellent discussion with plenty of figs. to demonstrate issues such as effect of wavelength and TFA on baseline drift for water-CH3CN gradient. Lots of useful information.
6. Separation of large molecules 50 p. 21 figs. - not of interest to me, seemed OK.
7. Preparative Separations 37 p. 16 figs. - mainly Touching-Peaks and Severely-Overloaded comparison, but does also note that often isocratic can be the most appropriate choice for simple preparative separations.
8. Other Applications of Gradient Elution 41 p. 19 figs. - mainly introductory stuff to LC-MS and HILIC gradients.
9. Theory and Derivations 41 p. 13 figs. All good eye-glazing stuff, seems to cover all relevant sections.
Appendices - Useful stuff, and the table of data for reversed-phase column selectivity and peak tailing in Appendix III is up-to-date, but I'm disappointed they didn't points towards a WWW site for subsequent updates.
Now, crunch time, will my investment improve my ability to solve gradient chromatography problems, and could it help you?.
For me, the answer is clearly yes, as chapters 1 - 5 have plenty of meat with good, practical examples. There are pages that my grubby paws will soon frequently stain. It's also good to get the updates on latest technology and general problem solving, and the Contents and Index make quick referencing very easy.
For you - that's a little more difficult. If you do a lot of gradient method development, the ~US$110 price is probably justified. If there was any likelihood that a third edition of Practical HPLC Method Development was imminent, I'd suggest waiting for that, as most of Chapters 1, 4, 5 and major parts of 2 and 3, are likely to be included.
If you don't have Practical HPLC Method Development, then spending the same money on the 1997 second edition would still be the best use of your money, followed by some of the specialist books on columns, solvents, and problem solving.
I hope you find this helpful, and if you disagree please add your views to counteract my jaundice. Please keep having fun,
Bruce Hamilton
