By Anonymous on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 11:14 pm:
I was just wondering if someone could explain what a plate count was, and maybe what it tells you about a particular GC? Thanks!
By Anonymous on Friday, April 18, 2003 - 03:14 pm:
The plate count refers to the number of theoretical plates and is a function of the GC column rather than the instrument. The number of plates (n)per meter is a measure of column separation efficiency. The value of n can be calculated using the data from a given peak on the column as follows:
n=16 x the square of(retention time/peak width).
As you can see more plates means narrower peaks which are better resolved from their closely eluting neighbors. Smaller column id leads to more plates/meter (all other column parameters being equal) and longer columns of course have more plates than shorter ones of the same type.
By Ian on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 10:30 am:
To Anonymous, Friday, April 18.
You are correct in your posting, but remember always to mention that plate count measurements must be done under isothermal conditions. Many people overlook this basic approach.
By HW Mueller on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 02:43 am: