Counter-current chromatography using supercritical fluid carbon dioxide as mobile phase

Supercritical fluid carbon dioxide was employed in solar eccentric counter-current chromatography (SECCC) to replace the liquid mobile phase in the traditional arrangement. The fundamental difference from the conventional liquid-liquid system is the requirement for high-pressure operation. The experimental set-up is presented to illustrate the necessary modifications that accommodate operation with a supercritical fluid. Studies on the stationary phase retention due to various experimental conditions are discussed. A mixture of acetophenone and benzophenone was chromatographed using mixtures of water and methanol as the stationary solvent system to demonstrate the feasibility of this technique. At present the efficiency of the separation is not satisfactory owing to the phase separator inserted in the system to remove liquid droplets which contributed to considerable peak broadening.