Countercurrent chromatography.

Abstract

Countercurrent chromatography is a newly developed versatile partition chromatography which totally eliminates the use of solid supports. The method utilizes the intriguing hydrodynamic behavior of two immiscible solvents in a rotating coiled tube. Various types of seal-free flow-through centrifuge schemes are introduced to facilitate a continuous elution process. The method yields high partition efficiencies comparable to liquid chromatography but without the complications arising from the use of solid supports. Countercurrent chromatography covers a wide spectrum of applicable samples ranging from small ions and molecules to macromolecules and even cell particles in both analytical and preparative scales.