Purity, by separation
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography pushes a dissolved sample through a column that separates its components by how they interact with the column material. Different substances emerge at different times, producing a chromatogram of peaks.
- The main peak represents the target compound; smaller peaks are related substances.
- Purity is reported as the target peak's share of the total — a single, specific percentage.
- One number never tells the whole story, which is why the method is stated alongside it.