Three methods to characterize reversed phase liquid chromatographic columns applied to pharmaceutical separations

Abstract

AbstractSelecting a suitable reversed phase liquid chromatographic (RP‐LC) column for a particular separation is complicated. More than 600 brands of C18 columns are available on the market. Therefore, determining the characteristics influencing the selectivity of the different stationary phases is necessary. In this paper, three different methods to characterize RP‐LC columns are compared. Hoogmartens et al. developed a column characterization system based on test methods from literature, which were reduced with principal component analysis (PCA), and led to four final chromatographic parameters. The second method studied is this of Euerby et al. who developed a column classification system using six parameters, based on the method of Tanaka and also applying PCA. The third method, developed by Snyder et al. is different from the other two. It uses five parameters, calculated by multiple linear regression from the retention data of 18 solutes. The suitability of the column classification systems was examined on pharmaceutical separations. It seems that all three methods can facilitate the selection of a suitable column for an analysis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.