Liquid Chromatography
PerkinElmer's Liquid Chromatography (LC) and HPLC systems deliver the resolution, sensitivity and reliability required for the analysis of non-volatile and thermally sensitive compounds. From pharmaceutical impurity profiling to environmental contaminant screening, our LC and LC/MS platforms support analytical laboratories across regulated industries worldwide.
With flexible detector configurations, intuitive software, and seamless integration with mass spectrometry, PerkinElmer LC solutions enable accurate, compliant, and reproducible results - run after run.
PerkinElmer Liquid Chromatography Systems
LC 300 Series
Increased Versatility and Efficiency. Performance with new levels of usability, enabling operational efficiency and versatility for a variety of applications.
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QSight 500 LC/MS/MS System
The Triple Quadrupole is a complete solution from method development to results and reporting. This innovative system enables high sensitivity and performance, maximum uptime and unparalleled remote support capabilities.
Learn MoreGas Chromatography vs Liquid Chromatography: Which Technique Do You Need?
Gas and liquid chromatography are complementary techniques. Your choice depends on the physical and chemical properties of your target compounds, your matrix, and the sensitivity and throughput required.
| Factor | Gas Chromatography (GC) | Liquid Chromatography (LC) |
|---|---|---|
| Sample type | Volatile, semi-volatile, thermally stable compounds | Non-volatile, polar, thermally sensitive compounds |
| Mobile phase | Inert carrier gas (helium, hydrogen, nitrogen) | Liquid solvent (water, methanol, acetonitrile, buffers) |
| Typical applications | Petrochemicals, environmental VOCs, food aroma, residual solvents | Pharmaceuticals, PFAS, biomolecules, food residues, clinical analytes |
| Detection | FID, ECD, TCD, NPD, FPD, MS | UV/Vis, PDA, Fluorescence, RI, ELSD, MS/MS |
| Sample preparation | Often minimal for volatiles; headspace or thermal desorption for complex matrices | Filtration, dilution, solid-phase extraction; sometimes derivatisation |
| Typical run time | 5–60 minutes | 2–45 minutes (UHPLC can be faster) |
| Sensitivity | Excellent for volatile compounds, particularly with MS | Excellent for non-volatile compounds, especially with LC/MS/MS |
| PerkinElmer platforms | Clarus Nova, Clarus 690, GC 2400, Arnel Solutions | LC 300 Series, QSight LC/MS/MS |
Liquid Chromatography Applications by Industry
Liquid chromatography is the analytical backbone of modern pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and food laboratories, supporting the separation and quantification of non-volatile, polar and thermally labile compounds that cannot be analysed by gas chromatography. PerkinElmer LC and LC/MS systems support workflows across every major regulated industry.
Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical
LC is fundamental to pharmaceutical analysis, supporting drug substance assay, drug product assay, organic impurities profiling, degradation products characterisation, extractables and leachables testing and dissolution testing. PerkinElmer LC platforms support USP, EP, JP and ICH methods with software validated for 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.
Environmental Analysis
Environmental laboratories rely on LC and LC/MS for the analysis of polar contaminants that aren't amenable to GC, including PFAS, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, endocrine disruptors, cyanotoxins and pesticide residues in drinking water, surface water and wastewater. LC/MS/MS methods such as US EPA 537.1 and 533 for PFAS analysis are routinely deployed on QSight platforms.
Food Safety and Quality
LC supports the analysis of mycotoxins, veterinary drug residues, vitamins, food additives, sweeteners and allergens across agriculture and food testing. Applications span dairy, meat and seafood, beverages and nutritional supplements, with LC/MS/MS providing the sensitivity needed for trace residue analysis at regulatory limits.
Clinical and Forensic
Clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories use LC/MS/MS for therapeutic drug monitoring, drugs-of-abuse screening, biomarker quantification and the analysis of small molecules in biological matrices. The combination of selectivity, sensitivity and throughput makes LC/MS/MS the technique of choice for laboratories handling high sample volumes.
Industrial and Chemical Analysis
LC supports quality control and research applications across chemicals and fine chemicals, polymers and plastics, coatings and paints and advanced materials, enabling the analysis of polymer additives, surfactants, dyes and process intermediates.
Choosing the Right Liquid Chromatography System
Selecting an LC system means matching detector technology, separation mode, throughput and software to your analytical workflow and regulatory environment.
HPLC vs UHPLC
Standard HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) operates at pressures up to around 400 bar and is the established workhorse for routine analysis across most industries. UHPLC (Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) operates at pressures up to 1,300 bar with sub-2-micron particle columns, delivering faster separations, narrower peaks and higher sensitivity - ideal for high-throughput laboratories and complex sample matrices.
HPLC and UHPLC are both liquid chromatography techniques, but they differ in operating pressure, column technology, speed and the analytical workflows they best support. Use the comparison below to identify which is the right fit for your laboratory.
| Factor | HPLC | UHPLC |
|---|---|---|
| Operating pressure | Up to approximately 400 bar (6,000 psi) | Up to approximately 1,300 bar (19,000 psi) |
| Column particle size | Typically 3–5 micron | Sub-2 micron |
| Run time | 10–45 minutes typical | 2–15 minutes typical |
| Resolution | Good — established for routine separations | Higher — narrower peaks, improved separation of complex mixtures |
| Sensitivity | Standard for most QC and routine applications | Improved, particularly for trace analysis and low-volume samples |
| Solvent consumption | Higher | Lower — supports green chemistry and reduced operating cost |
| Best suited to | Routine QC, established methods, regulated environments with validated workflows | High-throughput laboratories, complex matrices, method development, biopharmaceutical analysis |
| Method transferability | Compatible with legacy methods and most existing column chemistries | May require method redevelopment from HPLC; some HPLC methods scale directly |
LC Detector Types
The detector defines what your LC system can measure and at what sensitivity. PerkinElmer LC systems support a wide range of detection technologies.
- UV-Visible (UV/Vis) - the most widely used LC detector, suitable for any compound with a chromophore. Reliable, robust and well-suited to routine QC work.
- Photodiode Array (PDA) - captures full UV-visible spectra at every data point, providing both quantification and spectral confirmation of peak identity.
- Fluorescence (FL) - highly sensitive for naturally fluorescent compounds or analytes that can be derivatised, used in pharmaceutical, environmental and food analysis.
- Refractive Index (RI) - universal detector for compounds without chromophores, including sugars, polymers and lipids.
- Evaporative Light Scattering (ELSD) - universal detector ideal for non-volatile compounds without UV absorption.
- Mass Spectrometer (MS) - combined with LC, provides definitive identification and trace-level quantification. The QSight LC/MS/MS platform delivers the sensitivity and selectivity required for regulated bioanalysis and environmental testing.
Separation Modes
LC separations can be configured for reverse-phase (the most common mode for routine analysis), normal-phase, ion-exchange, HILIC (for polar compounds), size-exclusion (for biopharmaceuticals and polymers) or chiral separations. Your column and mobile phase selection determines which mode is in play.
Software and Compliance
Modern LC software manages instrument control, data acquisition, processing and regulatory compliance from a single interface. PerkinElmer chromatography and mass spectrometry software supports 21 CFR Part 11 electronic records and audit trails, GLP/GMP method validation, and integration with laboratory information systems for high-throughput regulated environments.
LC/MS and Hyphenated Techniques
When confident identification and trace-level quantification are required, liquid chromatography is paired with mass spectrometry to create one of the most powerful analytical techniques available to modern laboratories. Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) and tandem LC/MS/MS combine the separation power of LC with the molecular specificity of mass spectrometry, enabling the identification, confirmation and quantification of analytes at parts-per-trillion levels in complex sample matrices.
LC/MS/MS is the technique of choice for applications where false positives are unacceptable — pharmaceutical impurity profiling, PFAS analysis in drinking water, bioanalysis in clinical research, and pesticide multi-residue methods in food. The PerkinElmer QSight Triple Quadrupole platform delivers exceptional sensitivity, robust performance and the unattended uptime required for high-throughput regulated laboratories.
Beyond LC/MS, PerkinElmer offers a wider range of hyphenated technology solutions that couple separation techniques with spectroscopic detection for specialised analytical workflows.