Abstract: A type-J coil planet centrifuge with a 7.0 cm revolution radius was designed through the tandem connection of two spiral tubes. The β value was in the range of 0.3－0.7. The total column capacity was 30 mL. Different polarity solvent systems such as n-heptane:methanol, n-hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol:water, n-butanol:acetic acid:water and PEG 1000:K2HPO4:water were used to comparatively study the retention capacities of the new HSCCC and the traditional multilayer coil HSCCC. The stationary phase retention factor (Sf) of the traditional multilayer coil HSCCC was 50% in n-heptane:methanol system and 60% in n-hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol:water system at a flow rate of 1 mL/min under the L-I-T elution mode, while for the spiral tube HSCCC, the Sf values were 60% and 68%, respectively. The Sf values of the traditional multilayer coil HSCCC and the spiral tube HSCCC were 22% and 60% in n-butanol:acetic acid:water system at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min under the U-O-H elution mode and 15% and 46% in PEG 1000:K2HPO4:water system at the same flow rate under the L-I-T elution mode, respectively. An excellent linear relationship between Sf and (1/g-levels)1/2 was achieved using each investigated solvent system. The new HSCCC was applied to separate anthocyanins from Lycium ruthenicum Murr. using a highly polar system composed of methyl tert-butyl ether, n-butanol, acetonitrile, water and trifluoroacetic acid (2.5:1.5:1:5:0.001), and the results showed that anthocyanins with a purity of 89% were obtained at a flow rate of 1 mL/min.

Key words: high-speed counter-current chromatography, spiral tube column, aqueous two-phase system, anthocyanins