Abstract
Details are presented of high-performance steric exclusion chromatography of plant hormones on a μSpherogel support with a molecular exclusion limit of < 2000. The speed of analysis is high compared with traditional steric exclusion chromatography and the sample capacity is well in excess of that normally encountered in other modes of high-performance liquid chromatography. The technique is, therefore, well suited for routine use at an early stage in the purification of trace quantities of endogenous hormones in plant extracts. Because of the complex nature of extracts encountered when attempting to identify any trace component from natural sources it will usually be advantageous to incorporate steric exclusion chromatography into the purification process in order to enhance the accuracy of subsequent analysis.