Multi-Detector GPC/SEC Analysis of Polysaccharides

Introduction

Polysaccharides are abundant, biological polymers composed of monosaccharides, or sugars. As a diverse class of naturally-occurring materials, polysaccharides have been used in applications ranging from paper and cotton manufacturing, to bioprinting and bioengineering, to pharmaceuticals, gelling agents in food, and other consumer products. In order to produce these items, manufacturers and researchers have to be able to isolate and identify polysaccharides with particular molecular properties, such as molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity, and molecular size, that are appropriate for each specific application. As such, the accurate analysis and molecular weight characterization of polysaccharides is critical.

Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) or, equivalently, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), is a widely used technique to characterize a range of macromolecules, from bulk manufactured materials to natural polymers and proteins. This technique can be used to measure the molecular weight moments (Mw, Mn), dispersity (Mw/Mn), intrinsic viscosity (IV) and hydrodynamic radius (RH) of these macromolecules. Figure 1 shows a complete setup of Malvern’s OMNISEC GPC/SEC system.