High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: soorten detectoren

In HPLC, the column-eluted analytes are directed to a detector, which produces characteristic electrical signals corresponding to each analyte component.

An ideal HPLC detector has high sensitivity, a broad linear detection range, and generates a rapid and reproducible response to solutes.

Bulk property detectors, such as refractive index detectors, measure the properties of both the solute and the mobile phase.

In contrast, solute property detectors, such as UV–Visible detectors, measure the properties of the solute alone.

Among spectrophotometric detectors, UV–Visible detectors are optimum for gradient elution with a nonabsorbing mobile phase.

However, fluorescence detectors are sensitive and selective towards fluorescent analytes.

While the refractive index detector responds to all solutes, it exhibits low sensitivity, poor detection limits, and is unsuited for gradient elution.

Other widely used HPLC detectors are based on mass spectrometry, FTIR,  electrochemical measurements, and light scattering.