A rapid method for separating phosphorus compounds by molecular weight using exclusion gels and centrifugation

The separation of the various phosphorus compounds present in lakewaters is needed to assess their availability and role in algal assemblages. Separating these compounds by gel chromatography can take several hours, and denaturation can occur during that time. It is possible to accelerate the procedure by using several batch extractions in sequence. The method described allows the simultaneous analysis of 4 samples in about 20 min. This gain in time is obtained at the expense of resolution since the whole elution profile is spread over 10 samples. This method was found simple and efficient in applications where the speed of separation is more important than resolution.