Author: RPW Scott
Book:Principles and Practice of Chromatography
Section:Principles Peak-Dispersion Mobile-Phase
from the mobile phase to the stationary phase. This transfer is not instantaneous; time is required for the molecules to pass (by diffusion) through the mobile phase to reach the interface and enter the stationary phase. Those molecules close to the stationary phase enter it immediately, whereas those molecules some distance away will find their way to it some time later. Since the mobile phase is continually moving, during this time interval, those molecules that remain in the mobile phase will be swept along the column and dispersed away from those molecules that were close and entered the stationary phase immediately. This process is depicted in figure 22. The diagram shows 6 solute molecules in the mobile phase and the pair closest to the surface, (1 and 2), enter the stationary phase immediately. While molecules 3 and 4 diffuse through the mobile phase to the interface, the mobile phase moves on. As a consequence, when molecules 3 and 4 reach the interface, they


