What is the effect of column temperature on retention time?
Compounds injected onto a column interact with the column material. Some compounds “stick” to the column more than others. These compounds then have a long retention time. Heating increases the kinetic energy of the compounds on the column. This increased energy allows the molecules to wiggle free from the column more easily. So heating reduces the “stickiness” of the molecules. Since molecules will “stick” less, they will move more quickly through the column, and their retention times will decrease.
