Elution Behavior of Polyethylene Glycols on a Hydrophilic Polymer Gel Column Used for Size Exclusion Chromatography

Abstract Water, methanol, tetrahydrofurar. and their mixtures were used as mobile phases and the relationship between retention volumes of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and the composition of the mobile phases on a hydrophilic polymethacrylate gel column was investigated. The column packed with this polymer gel could be used with both polar and non-polar organic solvents as well as aqueous solvents. Retention volume of PEG having the same molecular weight changed with changing the composition of the mobile phase. The change of molecular size of PEG with changing the composition of the mobile phase was small compared to the difference in retention volume, and PEG samples were considered to be separated mainly by size exclusion, secondary effects being superimposed. In order to calculate molecular weight averages of PEG, the adequate selection of the mobile phase which minimizes the peak width of PEG is important and the recommended combination of PEG and the mobile phase with the column used here for PEG are F...