What Is a Capillary Column

Capillary columns are gas chromatography (GC) columns that have the stationary phase coating their inner surfaces rather than being packed into the cavity. Capillary GC columns are used to analyze samples for the individual chemical compounds that they contain.

What is the difference between packed and capillary columns?

The main difference between packed column and capillary column is that, in a packed column, the stationary phase is packed into the cavity of the column whereas, in a capillary column, the stationary phase coats the inner surface of the cavity of the column.

What is capillary column made of?

A typical capillary column is a thin, fused silica glass tube, lined with a liquid phase or adsorbent material or having a chemical bonding layer. Thin metal tubes are also sometimes used as capillary columns.