Rapid estimation of the number of coeluting components in liquid chromatography by factor analysis

Evaluation of the results of factor analysis of sets of spectroscopically detected chromatograms is carried out by examining the shapes of the factors. This is done either by visual inspection or by analysis of the power density spectra produced from them. Owing to constraints imposed by the column function and the spectroscopic instrument function, the information content of the chromatograms necessarily occurs at low spatial frequencies. As a consequence, it appears as relatively broad features in the chromatograms and as a peak in the low‐frequency region of the corresponding power density plot. On the basis of examination of the power density distribution, a well‐defined distinction is made between primary and secondary factors. The major uncertainty encountered in determining the number of chemical components appears to arise from effects of contaminants in reagents.