Generally speaking, it takes those in the pharmaceutical industry about 10 years to develop new medications. There are so many different tests and studies that need to be done on new medications before they’re released to the public.
Liquid chromatography is one of the techniques used to study the various components used to make new medications. It’s also commonly referred to as high-performance liquid chromatography. It’s a key part of the medication development process.
So, what is liquid chromatography? How does liquid chromatography work? And which industries outside of the pharmaceutical industry rely on liquid chromatography?
Find out the answers to these questions below.
What Is Liquid Chromatography?
Liquid chromatography is a technique that’s used early and often in the chemistry world. It’s a scientific process that involves taking the different components that make up a mixture and separating them.
By doing this, those using liquid chromatography can get a better look at these components. In some cases, they’ll do this for quality control purposes. In other instances, they’ll do it to get a good understanding of how a mixture can be used to carry out a certain function.
Whatever the case, liquid chromatography really comes in handy for many companies.
How Does Liquid Chromatography Work?
It’s not too difficult to get a good grasp of the basic concept behind liquid chromatography. But it’s not quite as easy to understand how liquid chromatography works.
Here’s the gist of it, though:
- A sample from a mixture is taken and dissolved in either a gas or a liquid (referred to as the “liquid mobile phase” of liquid chromatography)
- The gas or liquid containing the sample gets pushed through a fixed material (referred to as the “stationary phase”)
- The components that make up a mixture separate as they move into the so-called stationary phase and can be analyzed
Companies like Chrom Tech specialize in producing the equipment and supplies used to conduct liquid chromatography. You’ll need them to complete this process.
Which Industries Use Liquid Chromatography?
As we alluded to earlier, liquid chromatography is used a lot in the pharmaceutical industry. But that’s only one industry that can benefit from liquid chromatography.
Some other industries that utilize liquid chromatography are:
- Chemical manufacturing
- Environmental cleanup
- Research
- Education
- Food
- And more!
And this is just the beginning. There are so many industries that can use liquid chromatography applications to their advantage.
You Can’t Overstate the Importance of Liquid Chromatography
Without liquid chromatography, it’s safe to say that certain medications might not exist. There are also some food producers that wouldn’t be able to provide people with high-quality items.
Now that you know a little bit more about liquid chromatography, you should have a newfound appreciation for it. It’s pretty easy to see why this medical test has such importance within a whole host of industries.
Do you want to learn about other types of technology used to help businesses? Discover more about them in our other blog articles.
