Term: peak resolution, \(R_{\text{s}}\) https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.P04465 Definition: The separation of two peaks in terms of their average peak width at base (t R2 > t R1): \[R_{\text{s}}=\frac{t_{\text{R2}}\,-\,t_{\text{R1}}}{\frac{w_{\text{b1}}\,+\,w_{\text{b2}}}{2}}=\frac{2\ (t_{\text{R2}}- t_{\text{R1}})}{w_{\text{b1}}\,+\,w_{\text{b2}}}\] In the case of two adjacent peaks it may be assumed that w b1 ≈ w b2, and thus, the width of the second peak may be substituted for the average value: \[R_{\text{s}}\approx \frac{t_{\text{R2}}\,-\,t_{\text{R1}}}{w_{\text{b2}}}\] Source: Orange Book, 2nd ed., p. 108 (https://media.iupac.org/publications/analytical_compendium/) Citation: 'peak resolution, \(R_{\text{s}}\)' 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.P04465 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.