The presence of algae in HPLC systems can cause a variety of problems that
may be incorrectly diagnosed as instrument or application problems. Algae
grow in aqueous media, preferably in a pH range of 4-8. Their growth is
accelerated by buffers, for example phosphate or acetate. Since algae grow
through photosynthesis, light will also stimulate their growth. Even in distilled
water small-sized algae grow after some time.
