Publisher's Synopsis
This study examines the origin and manufacture of silica gel - possibly the most important single substance in modern chromatography. It describes the modes of grinding and classifying this material, including the processes involved in the synthesis of bonded phases. The physical and chemical properties of the product that are essential for optimum chromatographic performances are considered in some detail, together with their methods of measurement. The basic interactions that take place between the silica or bonded phase surface and solvents/solutes in general are described, in order to allow the nature of the distribution and mechanism of retention to be understood. Sources of grinding mills, classifiers and test instruments are also included in the text.
