Is it sufficient to thermostat my flow cell, not the column?

Applies to

Electrochemical detection

Answer

The residence time of the mobile phase in the active electrode area of a cell is really short (in most cells less than a second). Therefore, it is not enough to thermostat the cell only. For best temperature stabilization, the column should also be in the temperature controlled oven cabinet. This is not only beneficial for reproducible separation conditions but also stabilizes the detector signal.