On completion of the course, participants shall be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• provide advanced explanations for liquid chromatographic principles relevant for bioanalytical applications

• describe the construction and function of pumps and detectors for liquid chromatographic analysis

• explain the principles of various extraction methods and highlight the importance of proper sample preparation prior to liquid chromatographic analysis

Skills and abilities

• evaluate the choice of liquid chromatographic separation method based on analyte polarity, charge and size

• apply optimization strategies with respect to retention and selectivity for quantitative as well as qualitative analysis

Syllabus (pdf)

Lectures
Advanced theoretical treatment of liquid chromatographic separation and the underlying distribution and adsorption equilibria. Instrumentation and experimental technology for high-performance liquid chromatography and universal and selective detectors. Coupling high-performance liquid chromatography to high resolution masspectrometry. Sample preparation of biological samples prior to liquid chromatographic analysis.

Laboratory work
Experimental technology for high-performance liquid chromatography. Optimisation of HPLC systems with different combinations of mobile phases for quantitative and qualitative analysis of small molecules. Demonstration of high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with high-resolution mass spectrometry for qualitative analysis of small molecules.