Chromatography
Chromatography is the cornerstone analytical technique for separating, identifying and quantifying the components of complex mixtures. From pharmaceutical impurity profiling to environmental contaminant monitoring and food safety testing, chromatography supports analytical workflows across every major regulated industry.
PerkinElmer has been at the forefront of chromatography innovation since the 1950s, offering a complete portfolio of Gas Chromatography (GC), Liquid Chromatography (LC), mass spectrometry hyphenated systems, software and consumables. Whether you need to analyse volatile petrochemicals, trace pharmaceutical residues, or polar contaminants in drinking water, there is a PerkinElmer chromatography solution built for your laboratory.
Choose Your Chromatography Technique
Gas chromatography and liquid chromatography are complementary techniques. Your choice depends on whether your target compounds are volatile or non-volatile, and on the sensitivity, throughput and regulatory requirements of your laboratory.
Gas Chromatography (GC)
For volatile and semi-volatile compounds that are thermally stable. PerkinElmer GC and GC-MS systems support environmental testing, petrochemical analysis, food aroma profiling, residual solvent analysis and forensic applications.
Featured systems: Clarus Nova GC-MS, Clarus 690, GC 2400, Arnel pre-configured analyzers.
Liquid Chromatography (LC)
For non-volatile, polar or thermally sensitive compounds. PerkinElmer LC, HPLC, UHPLC and LC/MS/MS systems support pharmaceutical analysis, PFAS testing, food residue screening, clinical bioanalysis and biopharmaceutical workflows.
Featured systems: LC 300 Series, QSight LC/MS/MS Triple Quadrupole.
Gas 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 |
Chromatography Software and Consumables
Whichever chromatography technique you use, PerkinElmer provides the supporting software, columns, vials and consumables required to keep your laboratory running.
- Chromatography & Mass Spectrometry Software — instrument control, data processing, and 21 CFR Part 11 compliant workflows for regulated environments.
- Chromatography Consumables & Accessories — columns, vials, septa, syringes, gas filters and replacement parts for GC, LC and GC-MS systems.
- Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) — hyphenated GC-MS systems for definitive compound identification.
- Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) — LC/MS and LC/MS/MS platforms for trace-level quantification.
- Hyphenated Technology — combined separation and spectroscopic techniques for specialised analytical workflows.