Thoughts on teaching chromatography.

As analysts, we use analytical chromatography in our daily research and teaching. For many students, this ensemble of techniques may however be somewhat of a “black box” performed by an instrument that offers little-to-no clues as to how it works. In collaboration with friendly organic chemists at our department, we have therefore published a paper with a laboratory exercise that literally puts the chromatography into the hands of the students. In the exercise, students get the opportunity to pack and prepare a preparative column, mix mobile phases, load and elute compounds, and perform a visual detection, all while learning about concepts of retention mechanisms, gradient elution, and differences between preparative and analytical chromatography. Interested in reading more?

Check out the (open access) paper...