A CHROMATOGRAPHIC THEORY-BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF A LAYER OF EQUILIBRIUM ADSORPTION

The LEA model has been analyzed by comparing to other chromatographic theoretical approaches. In the LEA model a layer of equilibrium adsorp tion, L(e) serves as an effective kinetic constant. For the layer L(e) the concentration issuing from this layer is in equilibrium with the average value of adsorption on the whole layer at any moment of time. The value of L(e) is determined from all factors which broaden the chr omatographic zone. Such an approach permits us to combine the features of the mass balance (solute continuity in a chromatographic column), of the mass transfer phenomenon, and of the adsorption isotherm into a single first order differential equation. Apart from other layer-by-l ayer models, the LEA model supposes that over the whole column a conti nuous (real) distribution of adsorption a (L, t) and concentration c ( L, t) is observed. The usefulness of the LEA model in developing a chr omatographic theory has been discussed.