Abstract
UPLC (ultraperformance liquid chromatography) has become commercially available in 2004. Like other chromatographic techniques using sub two micron (STM) particles, UPLC is capable of accelerating existing HPLC methods by a factor of 10 to16. However, analyzing plant extracts, a gain in separation power is often of greater importance than a gain in speed. This requires the use of columns generating backpressures up to and exceeding 15000psi (1000bar). The theory of UPLC is briefly explained and the benefits of UPLC vs. HPLC are illustrated by several examples, incl. ginkgo, kava, black cohosh, milk thistle, and passion flower extracts.