Reversed-phase liquid chromatography testing. Role of organic solvent through an extended set of columns.

Column testing is a primary concerns for analysts. It is of use not only for the choice of set of development columns with different behaviors, but also for a substitution column in a validated method or as a quality control of new batches of stationary phase. A validated chromatographic procedure for column testing was applied to 42 commercially available columns, including alkyl, polar embedded and Aqua type stationary phases. This procedure was based on the use of two different solvents: MeOH and MeCN; and two different solvent/aqueous buffer fractions. Principal component analysis has been combined to hierarchical cluster analysis to provide both rational and objective classifications. The solvent effects were then studied on the obtained representations, revealing the necessity for considering both the solvent nature and its fraction in RPLC column testing. Differences observed depending on the solvent nature and fractions revealed quite different chromatographic behaviors according to these parameters.