# HPLC

> HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) separates compounds dissolved in a liquid under pressure; it is the standard cannabis potency method because it measures acid cannabinoids without heating them.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hplc.html
- Also written: high-performance liquid chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, HPLC-UV, HPLC-DAD, UHPLC, liquid chromatography
- Glossary category: Lab testing · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

HPLC pumps a liquid (the mobile phase) carrying the dissolved sample through a column packed with fine particles. Compounds interact with the packing differently and leave the column at different times. A detector, usually UV or diode-array (DAD), measures each compound as it exits, and comparison with reference standards turns peak size into concentration.

## In practice

HPLC runs at or near room temperature, so [THCA](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/thca.md) and [THC](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/thc.md), CBDA and [CBD](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cbd.md) appear as separate peaks. That's why it's the default potency method for flower and concentrates. A typical cannabis method resolves around 10-17 [cannabinoids](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md). Its weaknesses: compounds without a reference standard, or that co-elute (come out together), can be misidentified or missed, and results still depend on [sample prep](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/homogenisation.md) and calibration. UHPLC is a faster, higher-pressure variant.

## Don't confuse with

- **GC**: heats the sample and decarboxylates acids unless derivatised; used for [terpenes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md) and [residual solvents](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/residual-solvents.md).
- **LC-MS**: liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry; more specific, used for pesticides and [mycotoxins](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/mycotoxins.md).
- **HPLC grade**: a purity grade for solvents, not a test.

## Related terms

[Potency testing](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/potency-testing.md), [Gas chromatography](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/gas-chromatography.md), [LC-MS](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/lc-ms.md), [Acid vs neutral cannabinoids](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/acid-vs-neutral-cannabinoids.md), [LOQ](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/loq.md)

## Read more

- [Buyer beware: potency labels, strain names and other claims that don't hold up](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/basics/buyer-beware-label-claims.md)

## Sources

1. Berman P, Futoran K, Lewitus GM, Mukha D, Benami M, Shlomi T, Meiri D. 2018. A new ESI-LC/MS approach for comprehensive metabolic profiling of phytocannabinoids in Cannabis. Scientific Reports 8:14280. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32651-4
2. Wang M, Wang YH, Avula B, et al. 2016. Decarboxylation study of acidic cannabinoids: a novel approach using ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography/photodiode array-mass spectrometry. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research 1(1):262-271.