A Critical Evaluation of Gel Chromatography

Abstract
Gel chromatography includes a number of related techniques for separating molecules by means of solvent-swollen gels. The gels consist of three-dimensional networks of cross-linked polymeric chains of controlled porosities which exclude molecules from the interior of the gel to a degree depending on relative dimensions of molecule and pore. Current theories relating the elution volume to a partition coefficient or to molecular properties are discussed. A general equation has not yet been proposed. Such an equation would necessarily include the three important mechanisms: exclusion, restricted diffusion, and adsorption.