Effect of Carbon Number, Phase Polarity, Temperature, and Flow Rate on Preparative Scale Gas-Chromatographic Separations of Saturated Methyl Esters

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Abstract
A study of the operating conditions giving the highest production rate for a preparative scale gas-chromatographic separation of saturated methyl ester mixtures in a 1-in. I.D. × 3-ft column is described. The results obtained on egs (polar) and SE30 (nonpolar) columns in general were quite similar, with the exception that the production rates obtained in the egs columns were about one-third to one-fourth of those obtained in the SE30 column under comparable operating conditions. It was found that the production-rate values for a mixture increased approximately linearly with increased carrier gas flow rates up to 4.00 liters/min. As the column temperature was increased for each sample mixture, the production rate increased and passed through a maximum value, after which the production rate decreased rapidly. The maxima in the production-rate curve occurred for relatively small samples which were rapidly eluted through the column. The production rate decreased with an increase in the carbon number of the constituents in the methyl ester mixtures.