Asymmetrical chromatographic peaks can be well modeled by the exponent
ially modified Gaussian model (EMG). In this study, an analytical expr
ession is derived to give the model for the sharpened overlapping peak
s when the deconvolution is performed by another EMG peak as a sharpen
ing function. By means of this model, it can easily be explained what
kind of peak shapes can be expected after deconvolution. The validity
of the model derived was tested by numerical deconvolution methods-the
relaxation and the Fourier deconvolution. The model derived here prov
es that it is impossible to conserve the peak shape during deconvoluti
on. The integration of the peak areas is almost always burdened with e
rror. The model gives an explanation of why side lobes and spurious pe
aks emerge during the deconvolution procedure.