Statistical properties of the band-broadening function

Statistical properties of the band-broadening function calculated from the equilibrium and kinetic theories of Giddings and Eyring are compared with real liquid-chromatography elution curves of low-molecular-weight substances and with light-scattering elution curves of a high-molecular-weight polystyrene standard injected at several concentrations. The curves obtained by liquid chromatography agree in a large span of elution times with the theoretical ones and can be described by one value of the plate-height. The size exclusion chromatography (SEC) elution curves seem to approach the predicted statistical properties with decreasing concentration of injected polymer but, in general, a reliable prediction of band-broadening (BB) functions in SEC of polymers, especially of non-symmetric BB functions near the exclusion limit, seems not possible at this point. The relation of the theory with the characteristic-function approach developed by Dondi is also discussed.