Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is a widely used mobile phase in organic solvent-based size exclusion chromatography (SEC) due to its excellent solubility for a broad range of polymeric materials. In recent years, growing interest in green chemistry has driven the search for more environmentally friendly organic solvents. 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF), which can be produced from renewable resources, and thus offers a lower environmental impact, has attracted attention as a potential alternative to THF. In this application, SEC analyses of polystyrene standards were performed under identical conditions using either 2-MeTHF or THF as the mobile phase, and their separation performance was compared. The results demonstrated that 2-MeTHF provided separation performance comparable to that of THF, confirming its suitability as an alternative mobile phase for organic solvent-based SEC applications.

Sample: 20 µL
Diluted in eluent

1. 1.Polystyrene (Mw : 52,500) 0.05%
2. 2.Polystyrene (Mw : 3,180) 0.12%
3. 3.Polystyrene (Mw : 580) 0.25%
4. 4.n-Propylbenzene (MW : 120) 0.15%