EVALUATION OF SEPARATION QUALITY WITH A NOVEL THRESHOLD CRITERION

A novel threshold criterion based on the degree of peak overlap is pro posed. It can be used for the evaluation of the degree of separation f or simple or complex mixtures. The criterion considers quality of sepa ration for relevant peaks only. Non-symmetrical peak shapes, different peak-height ratios and the influence of other peaks on the separation are also considered. The proposed criterion was tested on overlapped peaks of complex chromatograms obtained by capillary gas chromatograph y.