The separation factor , (1.24) enables the comparison of two adjacent peaks 1 and 2 present in the same chromatogram (Figure 1.8). Using Equations 1.20 and 1.19, it can be concluded that the separation factor can be expressed by Equation 1.25.
By definition is greater than unity (species 1 elutes faster than species 2):
By definition is greater than unity (species 1 elutes faster than species 2):
For non-adjacent peaks the relative retention factor r, is applied, which is calculated
in a similar manner to .
in a similar manner to .