Theoretical and experimental comparison of mobile phase consumption between ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography

Ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) using small particles and very high pressure has demonstrated higher resolution and speed compared with conventional HPLC. An additional benefit of UPLC is the significantly reduced consumption of mobile phase. This report discusses how column length, particle size, inner column diameter, extra column void volume, and capacity factor contribute to the reduction of mobile phase consumption in UPLC compared with HPLC. In addition, theoretical and experimental comparison of mobile phase consumption was made between isocratic HPLC and UPLC as well as between gradient HPLC and UPLC. Both theoretical and experimental results indicate that UPLC typically saves at least 80% of mobile phase in isocratic and gradient conditions when compared with HPLC.