Chromatography Column
From TheLiquidPhase
Chromatography Column is a general term referring to the part of a chromatographic system in which the actual separation of compounds takes place.
Origin
The word "Column" originally was derived from the first forms of Column Chromatography (which is still used today). Generally these were a vertical glass column filled with some form of solid adsorbent.
Use in Countercurrent Chromatography
In Countercurrent Chromatography the column refers to the part of the apparatus in which the actual separation of compounds takes place. In HSCCC and HPCCC machines the columns are helically wound coils of tubing that rotate in a planetary motion. In CPC the column is the drum-shaped rotor. The CCC machine as a whole can be referred to as the column. As with HPLC, the column must be connected to a pump (at the inlet) and a detector and/or fraction collection device (at the outlet) to have a complete system. The sample/analyte and mobile phase are introduced at the column's inlet and separated compounds elute from the column's outlet.