Rapid separation of lipid classes in high yield and purity using bonded phase columns.

A method utilizing aminopropyl bonded phase (Bond Elut) columns has been developed to separate lipid mixtures into individual classes in high yield and purity. Up to ten lipid mixtures can be processed in 1 hr and the columns are reusable after suitable washing. Although the method was developed with standard lipid mixtures, it was shown that it is also applicable to biological extracts. Due to the rapidity and high yields (greater than 95%) of this procedure, it is superior to preparative HPLC or TLC, or other chromatographic methods for the separation of lipid mixtures for subsequent analysis.