Which instrument has a sample-introduction system, solvent-delivery system, column, and detector as components?

Which instrument has a sample-introduction system, solvent-delivery system, column, and detector as components?

• A. Atomic absorption spectrometer
• B. Mass spectrometer
• C. High-performance liquid chromatograph
• D. Nephelometer

Answer: (C)

This item checks understanding of what a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system comprises. In HPLC, the sample is introduced into a stream of solvent (the mobile phase) that is pushed under high pressure by a solvent-delivery pump. This mobile phase carries the sample through a packed column containing a stationary phase, where separation of the components occurs. The separated components then pass into a detector that records their presence, producing a chromatogram. This combination of a sample-introduction point, a high-pressure solvent pump, a separation column, and a detector is the hallmark of HPLC. Other instruments lack one or more of these four integrated parts: for example, atomic absorption spectrometers don’t use a chromatography column with a continuous solvent flow; mass spectrometers are detectors that identify ions but aren’t defined by having a solvent-delivery system and a separation column in the same setup; nephelometers measure light scattering and do not perform chromatographic separation.

This item checks understanding of what a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system comprises. In HPLC, the sample is introduced into a stream of solvent (the mobile phase) that is pushed under high pressure by a solvent-delivery pump. This mobile phase carries the sample through a packed column containing a stationary phase, where separation of the components occurs. The separated components then pass into a detector that records their presence, producing a chromatogram.

This combination of a sample-introduction point, a high-pressure solvent pump, a separation column, and a detector is the hallmark of HPLC. Other instruments lack one or more of these four integrated parts: for example, atomic absorption spectrometers don’t use a chromatography column with a continuous solvent flow; mass spectrometers are detectors that identify ions but aren’t defined by having a solvent-delivery system and a separation column in the same setup; nephelometers measure light scattering and do not perform chromatographic separation.