The elution volume (Ve) - (Oct/02/2004 )

hi guys!

i have difficulty in understanding this sentence, since English is not my language. here it is : "The elution volume (Ve) is the volume of buffer before which the peak of protein elutes." hallo! yes, i don't get it. does it mean Ve of that protein is the volume of the buffer before the UV-absorbance of that protein or does it mean that the volume of the buffer to the middle of the peak?

p.s! UV-absorbance and peak are different things here.

thanks for helping!

I can't give you references or guarantees, but I think it is like this:
The term really means the amount of liquid, (buffer), that one needs to put into column to get max absorbance/detection of the analyte (for example protein) AFTER your analyte starts to elute (=focus=move in the column).
so then it would be this "from start to to the peak center".

Another thing is that in some columns, like RPLC, the peptide can stay in column, not moving, until for example B-buffer concentration is high enough.

A third, IMPORTANT thing is that term is used somewhat freely, often meaning just the amount of buffer you pump in to get your stuff out.