When developing a new method for fingerprinting, people traditionally use one long column to obtain high peak capacity. however, long column with small particle often bring high backpressure, constitute a practical problem and limit the use of more viscous solvents in mobile phase. Monolithic column with its unique pore structure, comprising macro- and meso- pores provide lower column backpressure compared to particle packed column, even at elevated flow rate and even with more viscous mobile phase solvents, offer high peak capacity and shorter analysis running time. Besides this, robustness and resistance toward sample matrix make monolithic column to be very suitable for TCM fingerprinting. Under
Certain situation, coupling two, three and up to four Chromolith® columns in series for fingerprint analysis of herbal material has been used and published by Vander Heyden et al. in two papers.