I am seeing inconsistent HPLC Peak shape. What may be the cause of this?

For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Answer

There can be a multitude of factors that may cause inconsistent peak shapes.  These may include:

• Unstable Flow: potentially caused by leak or clogging of the instrument.
• Temperature not in range
• Insufficient Equilibration
• Incomplete closure of the oven door
• Inadequate connection of the column leading to dead volume
• Inadequate Preparation of the mobile phase
• Column Issues
• Detector Issues
• Method Errors
• Wrong Wash Solvents
• Worn rotor seal
• Lack of calibration of the Mass Spectrometer