General description

In a packed column, the carrier gas percolates through the porous bed and separation is achieved by moving the solutes apart. Packed columns are made up of two main materials; stainless steel and Pyrex glass. Metal packed columns are more suitable for long and high carrier gas flow rates to tolerate the elevated pressures. Porapak R is a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer with -O- and -N- groups and maximum operating temperatures of about 250 °C.

An economical metal column should be used for less demanding applications where the inertness of glass is not required. This column is of a general configuration, and can be carefully bent to fit most instruments.