In HPLC, a liquid sample is injected into a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system, where it is pumped through a column packed with a “stationary phase”, which will determine how quickly the sample travels through the column. Different stationary phases are used to separate different types of compounds.  As the sample components interact with the stationary phase, they separate based on their size and polarity.

Once separated, the individual compounds elute from the column and enter the detector