It is not easy to find out optimal condition for preparative HPLC. Not only large volume of solvent but also substantial amount of precious sample may be required for the evaluation of separation conditions, particularly in preparative HPLC. Consequently, we recommend that the evaluation should be carried out using analytical column (4.6 mm I.D.) in the beginning. Condition for preparative HPLC can be investigated efficiently by using analytical column packed with the same gel as in preparative HPLC column.
In this note, Inertsil ODS-3 was taken as an example, and how to scaling up from analytical column to preparative column is described.