When countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is used for the separation of inor
ganic solutes, the retention volume may be different with the predicted one
, and the separation efficiency is lower than that for organic separation.
These discrepancies are illustrated by expressions of the retention volume
and the height of theoretical plate from a mass transfer model, which is es
tablished in the present research.
The theoretical results show that the existence of chemical reactions plays
a great role in the retention and the separation efficiency of CCC; a fast
extraction reaction is preferable in the separation of inorganic solutes,
and promoting the reaction rate can also improve the separation efficiency.
CCC might be explored as a technique to measure kinetic data of extraction
reactions.