Flash Chromatography, a Fast and Efficient Technique for Purification of Peptides Part 1

Despite the improvements in automated solid phase peptide synthesis, such as the use of elevated temperatures, whereby peptides of greater complexity and purity can be synthesized routinely, the purification step is one of the main bottlenecks
in the peptide synthesis workflow. Preparative RP-HPLC is normally the method of choice but is limited by small loading amounts, long separation times, poor recoveries and high costs. In addition, crude synthetic peptides contain impurities with retention characteristics very similar to the target peptide which can present additional purification challenges.

Although there are a number of examples in the literature, flash chromatography or medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) is almost never considered as a technique for purification of synthetic peptides, as it is not perceived to be suitable for this application. However, with recent advances in flash using 20–25 micron spherical particles, making flash chromatography an efficient technique for synthetic peptide purification.