Achiral Analytical Scale SFC – Method Development, Stationary Phases, and Mobile Phases

This chapter provides systematic guidance for method development in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), starting with the nature of the mixture to be separated, to choices in stationary phases and in mobile phases. The first step in developing any separation should be a careful consideration of the mixture to be separated. In recent years, practitioners of SFC have become adept in choosing low concentrations of additives, designed to provide specific molecular interactions with the stationary phase or the analyte, though present at only low levels. A good SFC method requires a stationary phase to perform well in three areas: efficiency, retention, and selectivity. As in any form of chromatography, diffusion is important in SFC. The Van Deemter equation teaches that high diffusion coefficients lead to higher chromatographic efficiencies. The chapter discusses method development flow chart called “decision tree” which provides reasonable starting‐point conditions for SFC separations of a variety of analytes.