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Current problems with the limit of detection (LOD) concept in chromatography are reviewed. They include the confusion of the LOD with other separate, distinct concepts in trace analysis such as the minimum detectability (MD); the use of arbitrary, unjustified models for the calculation of the LOD; the use of concentration units instead of units of amount; and the failure to account for differences in chromatographic conditions when comparing LODS.

Solutions to these LOD problems are discussed. Two models are proposed for calculating the chromatographic LOD. A new concept, the standardized chromatographic LOD, is introduced to account for differences in chromatographic bandwidths of experimentally measured LODs. The standardized chromatographic LOD is shown to be a more reliable parameter than the conventional (non-standardized) chromatographic LOD.