EFFECT OF INTERDETECTOR PEAK BROADENING AND VOLUME IN SIZE-EXCLUSION CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH DUAL VISCOMETRIC-CONCENTRATION DETECTION

For a polymer sample with a molecular mass distribution which obeys th e log-normal function, the effect of intra- and extracolumn peak broad ening, combined with the effect of the error in the interdetector volu me determination, on uncorrected data of size-exclusion chromatography with the dual concentration-viscosity detection was theoretically exa mined. If the separation is not perfect and peaks recorded by the diff erential refractometric and viscometric detector are broadened to a di fferent degree and/or an error in the interdetector volume occurs, the dependences of the detected molecular mass on elution volume are rota ted and deformed. The error in the determination of uncorrected molecu lar mass averages for the whole polymer from the dual detection data i s demonstrated and the effect of the Mark-Houwink-Kuhn-Sakurada expone nt on uncorrected data was demonstrated. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.