Gel permeation chromatography: Evaluation of porous glass-column packing materials for low molecular weight solutes

Currently available small pore‐size porous glass packing materials have been characterized as substrates for gel permeation‐chromatographic separations. The elution volumes of narrow molecular weight‐distribution polystyrene standards and hydrocarbon solutes have been determined using tetrahydrofuran as solvent. The results show that none has a sufficiently small pore diameter to enable low molecular weight oligomers to be separated. New smaller pore‐diameter packing materials are required to enable these rigid materials to be used for separations of oligomer mixtures by GPC.