Term: effective theoretical plate number
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.E01898

Definition:
A number indicative of column performance when resolution is taken into account: \[N=\frac{16\ R_{\text{s}}^{2}}{(1- \alpha )^{2}}\] where R s is the peak resolution and α is the separation factor.

Related Terms:
1) plate number (<em>in chromatography</em>) (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.P04694).
2) peak resolution (<em>in chromatography</em>) (<em>in chromatography</em>) (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.P04465).
3) separation factor (<em>in chromatography</em>) (<em>in chromatography</em>) (<em>in column chromatography</em>) (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S05614).

Source: Orange Book, 2nd ed., p. 108 (https://media.iupac.org/publications/analytical_compendium/)

Citation: 'effective theoretical plate number' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.E01898

License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.

Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.