I usually make silica slurry in hexane and after a good mixture of silica and hexane, I pack the column, and finally use an air-pressure pump to pack the column well?
However, sometimes the column breaks while doing purification?
Saurav Raj: What size silica particles?
What pressure(s) are you packing at (bar/psi)?
What pressures will the final column be used at (bar/psi)?
What column type (i.e. Steel, Glass... ) and size column (Dimensions ID x L)?
What do you mean be, "column breaks" ? The column tube or perhaps you refer to the packed support forming a void or channels? *The technique used depends on the above.
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Try vibrating the column as you pack and slow the silica addition rate. Column breaks are caused by non-uniformities in the packed bed. By tapping the column continuously or packing it on a vibrating table (or in an ultrasonic bath), you minimize these as the particles are given some lateral motion. By slowing down the silica addition rate (i.e., use a lower density of silica to hexane) you build up the bed layer-by-layer and prevent bridging of particles over voids in the bed.
Saurav Raj This sounds like an open glass column?
I've two suggestions:
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