Laserchrom HPLC Acronyms

HPLC Abbreviations and Acronyms, in alphabetical order:

%B	The amount of organic modifier (eg acetonitrile) added to water in a reversed phase eluent.
λ	Lambda. The symbol for wavelength
Δ P	Pressure difference, eg across a column.
μ	Mu. The symbol for micro. eg μm means microns, or micrometres, μl = microlitres etc.
2,2,4-TMP	2,2,4-TriMethyl Pentane. Also known as iso-Octane
α	Alpha, the symbol for selectivity in the resolution equation.
A/D	Analogue to Digital. As in A/D converter. Used to convert a 0-1V analogue detector signal into a digital signal which can be processed by a computer data system. An A/D converter has a bit number which is a measure of the resolution it can achieve.
A/S	Autosampler
AA	Atomic Absortption Spectroscopy
AC/DC	Alternating Current or Direct Current. eg on the back of a detector will be a voltage setting of 1VDC, meaning 1 Volt Direct Current for an input connection
ACN	Acetonitrile
Ag	Silver
Amb	Ambient. Usually means that HPLC is run without a column heater. Not recommended.
Anal	Analytical scale.
APCI	Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionisation. An interface and ionisation technique in LC-MS
As	Asymmetry. A measure of the symmetry (ie lack of tailing) of a gaussian peak.
Atm	Atmospheres. A unit of pressure. =15psi or 1 Bar
Au	Gold
AU	Absorption Units. Calculated from the Beer Lambert law. It is a log scale so values cannot be subtracted. To subtract a baseline for example, use the values in millivolts.
AUFS	Absorption Units Full Scale. A measure of the concentration range being displayed.
bar	Unit of pressure, = approx 15 psi
BCD	Binary Coded Decimal. An old communication type, using the binary style numbers (2,4,8, 16 etc) but with a column for 10's as well. Requires a special BCD cable, and connects into the BCD sockets on the back of certain HPLC instruments.
BHT	Butylated Hydroxy Toluene. Used as a stabiliser for stabilised THF. Does not mix with water, so unsuitable for reversed phase HPLC, and absorbs UV strongly at 254nm, so not much use if using a UV detector.
bis	N,N'-methylene bis acrylamide
BNC	Bayonet Neill-Concelman. A type of connector used in some HPLC equipment and computer networks. Follow this link for a picture etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BNC_Connector
BSA	Bovine Serum Albumin. Used as stationary phase in some Type 5 Chiral columns.
C8	Octyl. A reversed phase packing material.
CD	Circular Dichroism. A technique used for a rare type of HPLC detector
CD	Cyclodextrin. A material used in chiral HPLC columns.
CE	Capillary Electrophoresis.
CEC	Capillary Electrokinetic Chromatography
CF-FAB	Continuous Flow Fast Atom Bombardment. An interface and ionisation technique in Mass Spec
Ci	Curie. Unit of radioactivity.
CI	Chemical Ionisation. An indirect ionisation technique in Mass Spec.
CLHP	Chromatographie Liquide avec Haut Pressure. This is what the French call HPLC.
CM	Carboxymethyl. A weak cation exchanger.
CN	Cyano. A normal phase packing material.
COAX	A type of cable used in some HPLC equipment and computer networks. It is much less susceptible to induced voltages etc because each core surround the one inside it, with an insulating sheath in between. Follow this link for pictures and more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coax
COSHH	Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. UK legislation which requires a risk assessment to be carried out before analytical procedures are undertaken
CV	Check Valve. eg CV Cartridge
CZE	Capillary Zone Electrophpresis
DAD	Diode Array Detector. Also known as a PDA
DC	Dunnsicht Chromatographie. German for TLC.
DC	Direct Current. eg from a battery. The opposite of Alternating current, eg from mains electricity.
DCE	Data Circuit terminating Equipment. The instrument on the receiving end of an RS232 link. The male socket of the cable is used at this end.
DCM	Dichloromethane
DEAE	Diethylaminoethyl. A weak anion exchanger.
DI	De-ionised, as in water
dil	dilute, as in acid
DIN	Deutsches Institut für Normung. A type of connector used in some HPLC equipment. Follow this link for a picture etc: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIN_plug
DMF	Dimethyl Formamide
DMSO	Dimethyl Sulfoxide
DNA	Deoxy Ribo Nucleic Acid
Dns	Dansyl. A fluorescent derivativatisation process used with fluorescence detection to enhance sensitivity.
DNS	Domain Name System. A LAN setting
DQ	Design Qualification. A precursor to IQOQPQ. Design Qualification is an assessment of an instrument regarding its fitness for purpose. Always a good idea when making a major purchase!
D-SUB	The standard D-shaped "subminiature" connectors used in computer connections. For pictures etc, follow this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Sub
DTE	Data Terminal Equipment. The computer end of an RS232 link. This will use the female socket on the cable.
ECD	Electrochemical Detector
EDTA	Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid.
EI	Electron Ionisation. An ionisation technique used in Mass Spec which gives rise to molecular fragmentation
ELSD	Evaporative Light Scattering Detector
EMD	Evaporative Mass Detector, same as an ELSD
ESI	Electrospray Ionisation. An ionisation and interface technique in LC-MS
EtOEt	Diethyl ether
EtOH	Ethanol
F	Fluorescence
FAB	Fast Atom Bombardment. Ionisation proces in Mass Spec.
FC	Fraction Collector
FID	Flame Ionisation Detector. A universal detector used mainly for GC but being tried for HPLC
FMOC	9-Fluorenyl methoxy carbonyl chloride.
FPD	Flame Photometric Detector. A GC detection system.
FPLC	Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography. A name used by Pharmacia for the HPLC of proteins.
FT	Fourier Transform. Mathmatical process applied to the collection of large numbers of data and summing to enhance the signal:noise ratio.
FTIR	Fourier Transform Infrared
G	Gauss. A unit of magnetism.
GC	Gas Chromatography
GC-MS	Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry
GFC	Gel Filtration Chromatography
GLC	Gas Liquid Chromatography
GLP	Good Laboratory Practice
GMP	Good Manufacturing Practice
GPC	Gel Permeation Chromatography
GPIB	General Purpose Interface Bus. Derived from the HPIB, developed by Hewlett Packard which proved so successful that everyone wanted to use it. Requires special cables which can be daisy-chained, and equipment on the bus must each have a unique ID. At the computer end, a GPIB controller card is required.
GSIOC	Gilson System Input Output Controller. The communication bus used for a number of Gilson Instruments. Uses RS422 communication protocol. Connects to the computer via RS232 port, and then has an RS232-> RS422 interface, which connects to the instruments. Each instrument must have a unique id, set from dip switches at the back or set through the keyboard.
HAc	Acetic Acid
Hb	Haemoglobin
Hb A1c	Glycated Haemoglobin.
HDPE	High density Polyethylene
He	Helium. Used for degassing in HPLC.
HETP	Height Equivalent to a Theoretical Plate. The smaller the value, the sharper the peaks!
HIC	Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography
HPIB	Hewlett Packard Interface Bus. Communication system originally developed by Hewlett Packard. See GPIB.
HPLC	High Performance Liquid Chromatography
HP-TLC	High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography. Small plates, small spots, small particles!
HV	High Voltage. Don't point to anywhere near where you see this sign!
Hz	Hertz. = per second. 10Hz = 10 times per second.
i.d.	Internal diameter. eg tubing can be 1.0mm i.d or 0.040" Column id is usually given in mm.(OK milimetres!)
IC	Ion Chromatography, or integrated circuit
ICP	Inductively Coupled Plasma
ID	Identity
IEX	Ion Exchange Chromatography
IgA, IgG	Immunoglobulin A, Immunoglobulin G
IP	Internet Protocol. For LAN control of a system each device will need an IP address, which must be unique.
IPA	Isopropyl Alcohol
IPLC	Ion Pair Liquid Chromatography. Essentially RP-HPLC with an ion pair reagent in the eluent.
IQ	Installation Qualification. Part of IQOQPQ. This is a check that everything that should be installed is installed, all in its correct places with the right connections etc.
IR	Infrared
IS	Internal Standard.
ISA	Industry Standard Architecture. The older, larger sockets inside computers for connecting old-style interface cards. EISA (Extended ISA) are the long sockets. If you have an interface card with either ISA or EISA connectors at the bottom, this will only be useable in older computers (at least 5 years old!)
IU	International Unit
J	Joules. SI unit of energy or work.
K	Potassium
K	Distribution Constant. the % partition of a sample between the stationary and mobile phases. Can also stand for Kelvin, the unit of Absolute temperature.
k'	Relative Retention time. An important parameter in the resolution equation.
kg, kgf	Kilograms, and Kilograms Force. kgf/cm2 =15psi or 1 Bar
LALLD	Low Angle Laser Light Scattering Detector
LAN	Local Area Network. The computer network in your building. Computers will be connected via a cable or via a wireless link. HPLC equipment can sometimes be linked into the LAN directly.
LC/MS/MS	As per LC/MS, but with the ions trapped out and submitted to a secondary ionisation and fragmentation for structural analysis
LCEC	Liquid Chromatography with Electrochemical Detection
LC-MS	Liquid Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry detection
LDPE	Low Density Polyethylene
LDV	Low Dead Volume
LIMS	Laboratory Information Management System
LLSD	Laser Light Scattering detector. NOT the same as an ELSD.
LOD	Limit of Detection. This is the smallest concentration of sample that can be detected with a given system. Usually this is defined as the sample leel which gives a s/n ratio of 3.
LOQ	Limit of Quantitation. This is the lowest sample concentration which can be accurately quantified by a given system. Usually this is defined as the sample concentration which gives a s/n of 30.
LSC	Liquid Scintillation Counting
LSC	Liquid-Solid Chromatography. An old term used to describe HPLC as opposed to GC
m/e or m/z	Mass to charge ratio. Used with Mass Spec detection.
MALDI	Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation. Mass Spec Ionisation process used with large molecules such as proteins. Often used with a Time of flight Mass Spec (MALDI-TOF)
MDQ	Minimum Detectable Quantity. See also LOD.
Me	Methyl. A CH3 goup on a molecule
MeCN	Acetonitrile
MEK	Methyl Ethyl Ketone. Also known as Butan-2-one.
MeOH	Methanol
MiBK	Methyl isoButyl Ketone. Also known as 4-methyl 2-pentanone.
MPa	MegaPascals. A unit of pressure. = approx 150psi or 10 Bars
MW	Molecular Weight
Mz	Average molecular weight. A mass spec term.
N	Efficiency (from Number of theoretical plates). A parameter from the resolution equation, and a measure of the sharpness of the peaks.
N/m2	Newtons. Unit of force. N/m2 is a unit of pressure, Newtons per square metre. = 15psi
Na	Sodium
NADP	Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate
NC/NO	Normally Closed and Normally Open. These relate to contact closures, which can be normall open ( a signal is sent when the contatcs are closed momentarily) or normally closed (a signal is sent when the contact is broken momentarily)
ng	nanogram. = 0.000 000 001g
NH2	Amino. Normal phase column packing.
NH4	Ammonium. As in buffer salts.
nm	nanometres. 0.000 000 001 metres. A unit used for wavelength of light.
NMR	Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
o.d.	Outer diameter . tubing or column o.d. is usually given in inches. eg 1/4" for an analytical column.
ODS	Octa Decyl Silane. =C18. Reversed phase column packing.
OPA	ortho-Phthalaldehyde. A fluorescence derivatisation reagent, used mainly post-column, for amino acids etc.
OPLC	Over Pressure Liquid Chromatography. A form of TLC with the plate enclosed and the eluent under pressure.
OQ	Operational Qualification. Part of IQOQPQ. This is check that something does what it says on the tin. It is essentially a series of tests to check that the instrument operates to the manufacturers specification. It is not a system suitability test!
Pa	Pascal. A unit of pressure. See MPa.
PAH	Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbon.
PB	Particle Beam. An interface technique in Mass Spec.
PCB	Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl. See PAH
PCB	Printed Circuit Board
PCI	Peripheral Connect Interface. The standard sockets inside a computer for connecting interface card (eg A/D converter cards or graphic cards).
Pd	Palladium
PDA	Photo Diode Array detector. Monitor all wavelengths with time.
PEEK	Poly Ethyl Ether Ketone. A polymer used in HPLC tubing, and in pumpheads and fittings for Ion Chromatography.
pg	picogram. =0.000 000 000 001g
PGC	Porous Glassy Carbon. Used as an electrode in Electrochemical Detection
pH	Literally per Hydrogen. A measure of acidity. Low pH is acid, high pH is alkaline or basic.
Ph	Phenyl. Used to represent a benzene ring on a molecule.
PID	Photo Ionisation Detection. A GC detection system.
PITC	Phenyl Isothiocyanate. Derivatisation Reagent
pKa	The dissociation constant for an acid (eg a buffer).
PP	Polypropylene
ppm, ppb, ppt	parts per million, parts per billion, parts per trillion. Be careful what people mean by billion and trillion!
ppte	Precipitate. Not a word you want to hear in HPLC.
PQ	Performance Qualification. Part of IQOQPQ. This is a check that the equipment is suitable to carry out the required analysis.
Prep	Preparative. Systems designed on a larger scale so that sample components can be collected as pure fractions at the end, usually using a fraction collector.
PS-DVB	Poly Styrene - Divinyl Benzene. A polymeric column packing material.
psi	Pounds per square inch. A unit of pressure, used by a lot of pumps to display system back-pressure.
Pt	Platinum
PT	Peak Threshold. A setting required by all data systems to define where the noise level stops and the peaks start. Measured in mV or AU. The setting used should be about double the size of the overall noise level.
PTFE	Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene. aka Teflon!
PTH	Phenyl Thiohydantoin. Fluorescence derivatisation reagent, usually used pre-column.
PVA	Poly Vinyl Alcohol. Polar polymer used as an HPLC packing.
PW	Peak Width. A setting required by all data systems to define the width of the smallest peak. The units are time, and the setting should be approx the width at half height of the smallest peak that might be measured.
QA	Quality Assurance.
QA	Quarternary Ammonium. A strong anion exchanger.
Quad	Quadrupole. A type of mass Spectral Analyser. Available as a Single Quad or Triple Quad.
RF	Response factor. Used in calibrating an HPLC system.
RF	Radio Frequency.
RI	Refractive Index
RIA	Radio Immunoassay
rms	root mean square
RNA	Ribonucleic Acid
RP HPLC	Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography
RPLC	Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography
RPTLC	Reversed Phase TLC.
Rs	Resolution. A parameter which can be calculated from the chtromatogram. It is proportional to efficiency, relative retention time and selectivity, and an Rs of >1.5 is required for baseline separation of two peaks.Critical Resolution is the resolution of the worst resolved two peaks in a chromatogram.
RS232	Serial Communication Bus used by many computers. It is not plug and play, so a reboot is required when changes are made or new devices plugged in. Unless a smartbox of some sort is used, instruments are identified by the port number into which they are connected, eg COM5. It is becomming rarer to even find a COM port on a computer these days, but for about £20 you can buy a card which gives another 2 COM ports and a spare parallel (LPT) port.
RSD	Relative Standard Deviation
RTM	Read the Manual
S	Siemens. Unit of conductance. Usually measure uS per square centimetre for Conductivity detection.
S/N ratio	Signal to Noise Ratio. For LOD, a s/n of 3 is acceptable, but for LOQ, and value of 30 is desireable, although some companies will accept a value of 10 in exchange for a much higher error level.
s/s	Stainless Steel
SAX	Strong Anion Exchanger
SCX	Strong Cation Exchanger
SDS, SLS	Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate. A surfactant, also known as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
SDVB	Styrene Divinyl Benzene. A rigid polymer used as an HPLC Column packing.
SEC	Size Exclusion Chromatography. A general term encompassing GPC and GFC.
SEM	Scanning Electron Microscopy.
SFC	Supercritical Fluid Chromatography
SFE	Supercritical Fluid Extraction
SI units	Systeme Internationale. The International System of Units, using metres, kilograms, seconds, Joules, Watts etc
Sil	Silica. An underivatised normal phase column.
SIM	Single Ion Monitoring. A Mass Spec term meaning that only one molecular weight ion is monitored, giving a higher sensitivity for that ion, at the expense of detecting other ions.
SMT	Surface Mount Technology
SOP	Standard Operating Procedure
SOS	Sodium Octyl Sulfate
SPE	Solid Phase Extraction
t0	Void volume
tBu	A tertiary Butyl group on a molecule
TCP/IP	Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol. Computers must have a TCP/IP setting to be connected to a LAN.
TFA	Trifluoro Acetic Acid
THF	Tetrahydrofuran
TIC	Total Ion Count. Used in mass spec. Displays the abundance of all detected ions against time, giving a total chromatogram of everything detected by the mass spec.
TLA	Three letter acronym!
TLC	Thin Layer Chromatography, or Tender Loving Care!
TMS	Trimethylsilyl-. A reagent used to end cap a reversed phase HPLC column. Some columns have this as the bonded phase.
TMS	Trimethylsilane. An end-capping reagent.
TOF	Time of Flight. A type of Mass Spectral Analyser
tr	Retention time
tris	trishydroxymethylaminomethane or 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol. Follow this link for a structure etc: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tris_buffer
TS	Thermospray Ionisation. An ionisation technique in Mass Spec
TTL	A start signal involving a single wire, the signal being given by a voltage change.
uhf	Ultra high frequency
UPLC	Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography. Developed by Waters, this is a form of HPLC using very high back pressures (up to 18,000psi) to force the eluent through v ery small particle short columns.
USB	Universal Serial Bus. The most widely used means of connecteing devices to a computer. It is Plug and Play, so no reboot is necessary, but for this reason Windows NT cannot suupport USB ports. Note that USB 2 (almost universal now) is 40 times faster than the original USB.
UV	Ultraviolet. eg a UV detector, or the UV spectrum (190-400nm).
UV-VIS	The Ultraviolet and Visible region of the spectrum. ie from 190nm to 800nm.
v/v or w/v	volume for volume or weight to volume. Used in dissolving samples or making dilutions.
viz	namely
VMA	Vanillyl Mandelic Acid
Vol %	Volume percent
W	Watts. SI unit of Power.
WAX	Weak Anion Exchanger
WCX	Weak Cation Exchanger
XRF	X-ray Fluorescence
XS	Excess, as in concentration
ZDV	Zero Dead Volume