Absolute Basics of SEC
- Duration: 1 day for live courses 6.50 hours for on-demand
- Experience level: Beginners
- Delivery methods: Face-to-face | Offsite training & consultancy | On-Demand | Online | Onsite training & consultancy | Tailored training |
- Type of course: Universal
- Applicable to manufacturer(s): Agilent |
- CPD Approved: Approved
- Scheduled course price: £385.00 + TAX per delegate
- Course discounts: RSC CAMS HEaTED Cambridge Network TSN members receive a discount on this course
Your beginner’s guide to size exclusion chromatography (SEC)
Learn the fundamentals of size exclusion chromatography (SEC), with this 1-day classroom-based beginners course for professionals and students that is approved by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This introductory, analytical chemistry course will cover the what, how, why, where and when of SEC and will take you through from the basics. Learn what SEC is and how it works, through size-based exclusion. Learn about the two basic configurations of SEC, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and gel filtration chromatography (GFC) and when you would use each, through to the various applications of SEC such as polymer analysis. Improve your understanding further with the opportunity to handle (see, in virtual courses) SEC instrument parts and consumables such as a detector lamp and SEC analytical columns.
Whether you are stepping into the world of SEC for the first time, or looking to refresh your technical expertise, this essential training gives you the knowledge to understand and use SEC as an analytical tool for the separation and measurement of analytes based on molecular size. This course breaks complex SEC instrumentation and techniques into easy-to-understand concepts, helping you to build skills that you can use in the lab.
Why should I join Absolute Basics of SEC?
On completion, you will be able to understand what defines SEC, its typical applications and uses in industries such as food analysis and cosmetics, as well as sample preparation for SEC and the fundamental concepts and theory behind the technique.
This SEC training course gives you:
- A solid understanding of SEC theory and the molecular size separation process
- Clear explanation of SEC instrumentation and the data it provides
- Insights into different SEC techniques including GPC and GFC
- Familiarity with SEC terminology such as diffusion, normal phase and reverse phase SEC and retention times
- Knowledge of SEC components such as analytical columns and various detectors
- Awareness of basic sample preparation for SEC
- Understanding an SEC chromatogram, the information it can provide and basic data analysis
- Real-world exercises of applications across many different industries
- A great summary of SEC aided with an acronym glossary
This is your opportunity to understand SEC, and how it can be used in everyday analytical labs.
What would I learn on Absolute Basics of SEC?
A beginner‑friendly introductory course, focusing on the what, how, why, where and when of SEC, including:
- What SEC is
- What defines chromatography and SEC
- What types of SEC are available and the differences between them
- What the chromatographic output is from SEC and what qualitative and quantitative data it provides
- How SEC works
- The core principles behind SEC from sample introduction to detection
- How both molecular size and weight contribute to SEC
- How the different parts of the SEC work including the analytical columns
- How retention times in SEC are impacted by pore size
- How different universal and selective detectors work including evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) and charged aerosol detector (CAD) and how to choose which to use
- How hyphenation to a mass spectrometer (MS) works and what advantages it brings
- Why we use SEC
- The use of SEC to characterise molecular weight distribution of a sample
- Why a molecules retention time is proportional to the size of an analyte
- Why different detectors may be used in SEC for certain samples
- Where SEC is involved
- Common sample preparation techniques for SEC from filtration to desalting
- Where sources of error can occur in SEC and where this can impact analytical workflows
- When SEC is the right choice
- Real-world, interactive, exercises of example applications across various industries such as automotive, environmental, cosmetics, food, polymers, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical
- When limitations can occur when using SEC as an analytical technique
What knowledge will I gain on Absolute Basics of SEC?
By the end of the course, you will:
- Understand the principles and concepts of SEC
- Know and define the key terminology associated with SEC
- Feel confident discussing SEC, the different types, sample preparation and workflows
- Comprehend SEC chromatograms and what information can be learnt from the results with data analysis
- Appreciate the pros and cons of hyphenating SEC and MS
- Understand chemical concepts of SEC from basic chromatography principles to data acquisition
This course gives you the language and understanding needed to use SEC in everyday lab life.
Is this course for me?
This SEC training is designed for anyone who needs an introduction to SEC, including:
- For beginners to SEC
- Analysts & technicians wanting a clear, structured refresher
- Laboratory or line managers overseeing SEC within the lab
- Data analysts and report writers who interpret results but do not use the instruments
- Service and consultant engineers who use SEC
- Sales, marketing or commercial teams working with SEC systems, consumables, data or laboratory services
If separation sciences touches your work in any way, this well-planned RSC CPD approved course delivered by experts in the field equips you to understand how to apply this to your everyday work.
What's next?
Feedback from previous attendees
“Provided a good overview of basic principles.” Lab Supervisor, 2025
“I enjoyed learning about the theory behind size exclusion chromatography. I have previously completed size exclusion chromatography but had no background knowledge of the technique. The testing I completed was really treated like any other HPLC technique, following the test method on the same HPLC system as usual. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to learn more about the technique and how it differs from, for example, reverse-phase HPLC analysis. In particular, the information provided on the variety of detectors (LALLS, MALLS, ELSD & RI) and when they may be applied was very useful.” Analytical Chemist, 2026
