Column efficiency and resolution: The efficiency of a chromatographic column is a measure of the capacity of the column to restrain peak dispersion and thus, provide high resolution. The higher the efficiency, the more the peak dispersion is restrained, and the better the column. The column efficiency will vary with the retention of the peak. In capillary columns, the efficiency generally falls as the retention increases and for a packed column the efficiency generally increases with retention.

Figure 1: A pictorial representation of column chromatography