I am working on the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ using 0.5M KHCO₃. I want to detect formate in the electrolyte using HPLC with a C18 reverse-phase column.
For HPLC detection of formate in a 0.5M KHCO₃ solution using a C18 column, use a mobile phase of 20-50 mM ammonium formate buffer (pH 2-3) with 10% acetonitrile or methanol. Adjust the flow rate to 0.4-1.0 mL/min and consider isocratic or gradient elution for optimal separation.
No, no, no. You can't detect formate using a formate buffer. Come on, people, a bit of thought, please.
1. I wouldn't use HPLC, wrong technique. Use GC-FID.
2. If you only have HPLC you can probably run 100% water with phosphoric acid on a polar column (high aqueous). Not a great solution but it might work for you. Wavelength has to be really low, so you will see the whole world. You're going to have to acidify your sample prior to injection.