Critical peak resolution in multicomponent chromatograms.

The critical degree of peak overlap is determined for multicomponent chromatograms. As the heights of adjacent peaks significantly differ, no single value of critical peak resolution can be used in multicomponent separations; one has to determine the distribution of the critical peak resolutions, taking into account the peak height distribution. An analytical expression is derived for the critical peak resolution, from which one can obtain the average or maximum probable peak resolution by integration. The theoretical model can be applied to any peak height distribution with ease.