Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC)
Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC)

SEC/GPC is a chromatography based separation technique where no interaction occurs between the stationary phase and the sample. Due to the porous column material molecules with a smaller hydrodynamic volume exhibit a longer retention time. Thus, the larger the molecule the faster the elution. SEC/GPC is a relative method since each sample needs to be compared to standards of known molecular weight and elution time.

Determination of:

- Number average molecular weight M_n
- Weight average molecular weight M_w
- Molecular weight distribution/dispersity Ð = M_w / M_n

Equipment:

- several systems working on different solvents (aqueous/organic) with UV/RI detection
- system equipped with molar mass sensitive detectors (MALLS, viscosity)

Literature: