Countercurrent chromatography with flow-through coil planet centrifuge.

We have developed a new method of countercurrent chromatography which employs a vertical helical tube in the centrifugal field. The helical tube is arranged so that it does not rotate as it revolves, thus eliminating the need for rotating seals. When the gyrating tube is filled with either phase and the other phase is introduced into the tube in the proper direction, an equilibrium state results in which the two phases are split into multiple alternating segments within the coil. Each phase oscillates to and fro with the rotation as the moving phase is steadily eluted out through the other end of the tube. Consequently, solutes introduced into the tube are subjected to a rapid partition process, resulting in an efficient chromatographic separation without the complications arising from solid supports. The method is illustrated by the microanalytical separation of dinitrophenyl amino acids and can be used on a preparative scale.