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Liquid chromatography detectors designed to assess the individual molecules that come out (i.e., elute) from the chromatography column of a liquid and/or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system based in measuring the charge that is in proportion to the amount of analyte. These detectors consist of a unit that includes: (1) a nebulizer that converts (i.e., nebulizes) the eluant in droplets; large droplets are removed and the solvent is evaporated from the smaller drops leaving dry charged particles whose size is in proportion to the analyte concentration; (2) an ionization chamber where the dry particles collide with a stream of positive charged gas ions that transfer a charge to the particles that is proportional to each particle size; (3) a particle trap intended to remove excess gas ions; (4) a particle collector to measure the particle charge using an electrometer; and (5) a computerized system with appropriate software that displays a chromatogram showing the constituents of the sample with an amplitude proportional to the quantity in the sample according to the data obtained from the electrometer output. Aerosol-charged liquid chromatography detectors are used as a detection technique that is independent of the chemical structure of the sample; it is intended for use in biochemical analysis performed in pharmaceutical drug and biologic research.
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