Question 1

What is the Meaning of C18 Column?

Accepted Answer

A C18 column is a reversed-phase liquid chromatography column, featuring a stationary phase bonded with octadecylsilane, an 18-carbon alkyl chain. This modification creates a highly hydrophobic surface, enabling compound separation primarily based on lipophilicity. It serves as a fundamental analytical tool for isolating and quantifying diverse organic molecules, including crucial hormones and metabolites.

Question 2

What is the Context of C18 Column?

Accepted Answer

In hormonal health and wellness science, C18 columns are indispensable in laboratories for analyzing endogenous and exogenous compounds. They are utilized with techniques like HPLC or LC-MS to prepare samples from biological matrices such as serum, urine, or saliva. This preparatory step ensures accurate quantification of hydrophobic hormones, steroids, and their precursors.

Question 3

What is the Significance of C18 Column?

Accepted Answer

Accurate, reliable hormone measurement is paramount for clinical diagnosis, therapeutic monitoring, and endocrinology research. C18 columns provide robust separation, essential for resolving complex compound mixtures that might interfere with precise quantification. This directly impacts patient care, enabling informed decisions regarding hormone replacement therapy, fertility, or endocrine disorder diagnosis.

Question 4

What is the Mechanism of C18 Column?

Accepted Answer

The separation within a C18 column relies on hydrophobic interactions between analytes and the C18 stationary phase. As the mobile phase, a water-organic solvent mixture, flows, more hydrophobic compounds exhibit greater retention due to stronger interactions. Less hydrophobic or polar compounds elute earlier, facilitating differential elution based on polarity, yielding a clean separation profile.

Question 5

What is the Application of C18 Column?

Accepted Answer

C18 columns are routinely applied in clinical and research laboratories for quantitative analysis of steroid hormones like testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and their metabolites. They also facilitate analysis of peptides, vitamins, and drug levels in biological samples. These columns enable analyte isolation from complex biological matrices, ensuring high purity for detection and precise monitoring of hormonal status.

Question 6

What is the Metric of C18 Column?

Accepted Answer

Column performance is assessed by parameters such as efficiency, resolution, and peak symmetry, typically using test compounds. The direct clinical metric, however, is accurate and precise quantification of target analytes, often expressed in ng/mL or pmol/L. These values are obtained after sample processing and detection, providing the foundation for clinical interpretation.

Question 7

What is the Risk of C18 Column?

Accepted Answer

Improper C18 column use or maintenance introduces analytical risks, including degradation, loss of separation efficiency, or contamination, directly compromising result accuracy. Contaminated columns may yield erroneous hormone measurements, potentially leading to misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment adjustments, or failure to detect critical conditions. Strict adherence to validated protocols and proper column care is essential.

C18 Column

Meaning

Context

Significance

Mechanism

Application

Metric

Risk

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