Chromatography
Also known as: reverse-phase chromatography · ion-exchange chromatography
A family of techniques that separate a mixture’s components by how they move through a medium — the basis of HPLC.
Chromatography is a broad family of methods that separate the components of a mixture by exploiting their different affinities for a stationary phase versus a moving one. Molecules travel at different speeds and so separate out.
HPLC — high-performance liquid chromatography — is the pressurised liquid version used to measure peptide purity. Other modes (such as reverse-phase or ion-exchange) separate by hydrophobicity or charge, and are used in purification as well as analysis.
RELATED TERMS
HPLC
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography — the standard technique for measuring the purity of a peptide.
Purity
The percentage of a sample that is the intended peptide, as measured by HPLC — the headline quality figure.
Mass Spectrometry
An analytical method that measures a molecule’s mass to confirm a peptide’s identity matches its intended sequence.
Isoelectric Point (pI)
The pH at which a peptide carries no net charge — where it is least soluble, affecting handling and purification.
Hydrophobic / Hydrophilic
Whether a peptide (or its parts) is attracted to water or repelled by it — a key driver of solubility and folding.
Educational content, not medical advice. All products supplied for research purposes only — not for human consumption.