Retention modelling of electrostatic and adsorption effects of aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids in ion-exclusion chromatography

Next generation multimodal chromatography resins via an iterative mapping approach: Chemical diversity, high-throughput screening, and chromatographic modelling

Multimodal chromatography resins are becoming a key tool in the purification of biomolecules. The main objective of this research was the establishment of an iterative framework for the rapid development of new multimodal resins to provide novel selectivity for the future purification challenges. A large chemically diverse virtual library of 100 multimodal Capto™ MMC ligand analogues was created, and a broad array of chemical descriptors were calculated for each ligand in silico. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to map the chemical diversity and guide selection of ligands for synthesis and coupling to the Capto ImpRes agarose base matrix. Twelve new ligands were prepared in two groups: 'group one' consist of L00-L07 and 'group two' consist of L08-L12. These ligands are diverse in the influence of varied secondary interactions such as hydrophobic interactions, H-bonding, etc. Additional resin prototypes were also prepared to look at the chromatographic impact of ligand density variation. High-throughput plate-based studies were performed for parallel resin screening for batch-binding of six model proteins at different chromatographic binding pH and sodium chloride concentration conditions. Principal component analysis of the binding data provided a chromatographic diversity map leading to the identification of ligands with improved binding. Further, the new ligands have improved separation resolution between a monoclonal antibody (mAb1) and product related impurities, a Fab fragment and high molecular weight (HMW) aggregates, using linear salt gradient elutions. To quantify the importance of secondary interactions, analysis of the retention factor of mAb1 on the ligands at various isocratic conditions lead to estimations of (a) the total number of water molecules and counter salt ions released during adsorption, and (b) hydrophobic contact area (HCA). The iterative mapping approach of chemical and chromatography diversity maps described in the paper proves to be a promising method for identifying new chromatography ligands for biopharmaceutical purification challenges.

Milestone Studies on Ion-exclusion Chromatography of Ionic and Nonionic Substances Utilizing Multifunctional Separation Mechanism of Ion-exchange Resins

Ion-exclusion chromatography (IEC) is categorized as a type of ion chromatography and is recognized as a simple and convenient water quality monitoring technology for a variety of ionic and nonionic substances. This review, mainly focusing on historical milestone studies by various authors, outlines the archives that concern the separation sciences and practical applications obtained from a variety of IEC modes used for water-quality monitoring as follows: (1) early-developed IEC; (2) IEC using enhanced conductivity detection for weak ionic substance; (3) IEC using nonionic substances eluents such as sugars or polyols; (4) vacancy IEC based on a novel separation concept; (5) applications to the water quality monitoring of inorganic ionic-nutrients; (6) simultaneous IEC and cation-exchange chromatography of anions and cations; and (7) the multicomponent IEC combining different separation modes and detection methods with the expansion of applicable fields, such as for food analysis or material evaluations.

Use of RSM for the multivariate, simultaneous multiobjective optimization of the operating conditions of aliphatic carboxylic acids ion-exclusion chromatography column: Quantitative study of hydrodynamic, isotherm, and thermodynamic behavior

The present study evaluates the capability of ion exclusion chromatography (IEC) of short chain aliphatic carboxylic acids using a cation exchange column (8% sulfonated cross-linked styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer) in different experimental conditions. Since one of the prerequisites to the development of an efficient carboxylic acid separation process is to obtain the optimum operational conditions, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to develop an approach to evaluate carboxylic acids separation process in IEC columns. The effect of the operating conditions such as column temperature, sulfuric acid concentration as the mobile phase, and the flow rate was studied using Central Composite Face (CCF) design. The optimum operating conditions for the separate injection of lactic acid and acetic acid is temperature of 75 °C, sulfuric acid concentration of 0.003 N for both acids and flow rate of 0.916 (0.886) mL/min for acetic acid (lactic acid). Likewise, the optimum conditions for the simultaneous injection of acetic and lactic acid mixture are the column temperature of 68 °C, sulfuric acid concentration of 0.0003 N, and flow rate of 0.777 mL/min. In the next step, the adsorption equilibria of acetic acid and lactic acid on the stationary phase were investigated through a series of Frontal Analysis (FA), Frontal Analysis by Characteristic Points (FACP), and using Langmuir isotherm model. The results showed an excellent agreement between the model and experimental data. Finally, the results of thermodynamic studies proved that the IEC process for separation of acetic and lactic acid is a spontaneous, feasible, exothermic, and random process with a physical adsorption mechanism. The results of the current paper can be a valuable information in the stages of designing IEC columns for separation of aliphatic carboxylic acids.

Ion-Exclusion High-Performance Liquid Chromatography of Aliphatic Organic Acids Using a Surfactant-Modified C18 Column

Ion exclusion chromatography (IELC) of short chain aliphatic carboxylic acids is normally done using a cation exchange column under standard HPLC conditions but not in the ultra-HPLC (UHPLC) mode. A novel IELC method for the separation of this class of carboxylic acids by either HPLC or UHPLC utilizing a C18 column dynamically modified with sodium dodecyl sulfate has been developed. The sample capacity is estimated to be near 10 mM for a 20 µL injection or 0.2 µmol using a 150 × 4.6 mm column. The optimum mobile phase determined for three standard mixtures of organic acids is 1.84 mM sulfuric acid at pH 2.43 and a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. Under optimized conditions, a HPLC separation of four aliphatic carboxylic acids such as tartaric, malonic, lactic and acetic can be achieved in under 4 min and in <2 min in the UHPLC mode at 2.1 mL/min. A variety of fruit juice and soft drink samples are analyzed. Stability of the column as measured by the retention order of maleic and fumaric acid is estimated to be ∼4,000 column volumes using HPLC and 600 by UHPLC. Reproducible chromatograms are achieved over at least a 2-month period. This study shows that the utility of a C18 column can be easily extended when needed to IELC under either standard or UHPLC conditions.

Recent progress and applications of ion-exclusion/ion-exchange chromatography for simultaneous determination of inorganic anions and cations

One of the ultimate goals of ion chromatography is to determine both anions and cations found in samples with a single chromatographic run. In the present article, recent progress in ion-exclusion/ion-exchange chromatography for the simultaneous determinations of inorganic anions and cations are reviewed. Firstly, the principle and the control for the simultaneous separation and detection of analyte ions using ion-exclusion/cation-exchange chromatography with a weakly acidic cation-exchange column are outlined. Then, advanced chromatographic techniques in terms of analytical time, selectively and sensitivity are summarized. As a related method, ion-exclusion/anion-exchange chromatography with an anion-exchange column could be used for the simultaneous determination of inorganic nitrogen species, such as ammonium, nitrite and nitrate ions. Their usefulness and applications to water-quality monitoring and related techniques are also described.

A novel ion-pair RP-HPLC method for determination of five components in compound α-ketoacid tablets

A sensitive and reliable ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of D,L-α-hydroxymethionine calcium (HMACa), D,L-α-ketoisoleucine calcium (KILCa), α-ketovaline calcium (KVCa), α-ketoleucine calcium (KLCa) and α-ketophenylalanine calcium (KPACa) in the compound α-ketoacid tablets using tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as an ion-pair reagent. The analytes were separated on a C(18) column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with the mobile phase of methanol-potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (pH 3.0; 50mM) (37:63, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.6 mL min(-1). The UV detection wavelength was set at 210 nm. Good linearity with correlation coefficients larger than 0.9990 (n=6) for all analytes were achieved. The average recoveries were within the range of 99.6-100.9%, and the RSDs of the results were within the acceptable limit of 2.0%, which showed that this method was accurate and precise. The limits of detection were 10.44, 5.94, 3.44, 3.60 and 1.63 ng mL(-1), and the limits of quantification were 34.80, 19.80, 10.32, 12.00 and 5.44 ng mL(-1) for HMACa, KILCa, KVCa, KLCa and KPACa, respectively. The method is simple and accurate for quality control of the compound α-ketoacid tablets.

Evaluation of monolithic and sub 2 µm particle packed columns for the rapid screening for illicit drugs—application to the determination of drug contamination on Irish euro banknotes

A study comparing recently available 100 x 3 mm id, 200 x 3 mm id monolithic reversed-phase columns with a 50 x 2.1 mm id, 1.8 microm particle packed reversed-phase columns was carried out to determine the most efficient approach (using traditional van Deemter analysis and a modern kinetic plot approach) for the rapid screening of samples for 16 illicit drugs and associated metabolites. A plot of column backpressure versus plate number (N) showed a significant advantage of using the monolithic phases, with the 20 cm monolithic column exhibiting a maximum 15,000 plates at a column backpressure of approximately 70 bar, compared to approximately 7000 plates at 150 bar for the 5 cm 1.8 microm particle packed column. Optimum linear velocities were found to be 0.40 mm s(-1), 0.52 mm s(-1) and 0.98 mm s(-1) for the three above columns, respectively. The 20 cm monolithic column was subsequently applied to the separation and determination of illicit drug contamination on Irish euro banknotes, using methanol extraction followed by LC-MS/MS. Method performance data showed that the new LC-MS/MS method was significantly more sensitive than previous GC-MS/MS based methods for this application, with detection limits in the pg note(-1) region, based upon a 20 microL standard injection. All of the notes examined tested positive for trace quantities of cocaine, with benzoylecgonine detected on 12 of the 45 notes sampled. Traces of heroin were also detected on three of the 45 notes.

Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry in the analysis of acidic compounds in atmospheric aerosols

A novel method utilising comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography interfaced to electrospray ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of organic acids in atmospheric aerosols. The system was applied to the analysis of methanolic extracts of filters from a high volume sampler. The enhanced separation power of two-dimensional separation was demonstrated in the analysis of both rural and urban samples. Quantification was performed for compounds for which standards were available. Limit of detection was 2-200 ng/ml. Average reproducibility of retention times in each dimensions was 0.1%, and average reproducibility of peak areas was 8% (10 microg/ml, n=3).

Analyte-stationary phase interactions in ion-exclusion chromatography

The currently accepted analyte-stationary phase interactions occurring in ion-exclusion chromatography are re-examined. In particular, the requirement for the existence of a Donnan membrane separating the flowing, interstitial eluent from the static, occluded, liquid acting as the stationary phase is scrutinized, together with the role of hydrophobic adsorption effects in the retention of aromatic analytes. Plots showing the interconversion of the column between the analyte and eluent forms are used to highlight some shortcomings of the currently accepted mechanism for ion-exclusion chromatography. An alternative retention mechanism for ion-exclusion chromatography is proposed, based on the presence of a potential well at the surface of the fully functionalized styrene-divinylbenzene co-polymer stationary phase. Analytes diffuse into the potential well under the effects of concentration gradients, and undergo repulsion effects from the fixed charges inside the pores. The net contributions of these two opposing processes determine the degree to which an analyte is retained on the stationary phase. Negligible hydrophobic adsorption of the analyte onto the polymeric resin supporting the stationary phase is considered to occur.

Comparison of shikimic acid determination by capillary zone electrophoresis with direct and indirect detection with liquid chromatography for varietal differentiation of red wines

Two capillary zone electrophoretic (CZE) methods for determination of shikimic acid in Chilean red wine were developed and compared with a HPLC method. Both electrophoretic methods were carried out by using a reversed electroosmotic flow induced by trimethyl(tetradecyl)ammoniumbromide (TTAB) with indirect detection at 260 nm using p-aminobenzoic acid as a UV-absorbing co-ion or by direct detection at 213 nm. In both cases, the separation was carried out in a 50 microm I.D. uncoated capillary with an effective length of 48 cm, a negative power supply of 30 kV, using a buffer based on bis[2-hydroxyethyl]imino-tris[hydroxymethyl]methane (Bis-Tris), pH 7.0 or 7.5 and hydrodynamic injection. The chromatographic separations were carried out on a C-18 reversed phase column followed by a sulfonyl-styrene-divinylbenzene (S-DVB) ion exclusion column at 70 degrees C with H2SO4 0.02 M as isocratic mobile phase and a flow rate of 0.5 mL min(-1). The three methods allowed the quantification of shikimic acid with quantification limits between 1.0 and 12.0 mg L(-1) and precision between 7.3 and 10.1%, however, only the concentrations obtained by CZE with direct detection were statistically similar to those of HPLC. This parameter was evaluated as analytical tool to verify varietal authenticity of red wines. In all cases, the Cabernet Sauvignon wines presented higher concentrations of shikimic acid, compared with Merlot or Carmenère wines.

Development and validation of a reversed-phase liquid chromatography method for the quantitative determination of carboxylic acids in industrial reaction mixtures

Usually analysis of low molecular-mass carboxylic acids was performed by anion-exchange or ion-exclusion chromatographic methods. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) was evaluated in this work as an alternative method for the analysis of low molecular-mass aliphatic mono- and di-carboxylic acids (formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, caproic, succinic, glutaric and adipic) in aqueous media. The separation of the nine organic acids was optimised in 21 min on a high-density C18 column with an elution gradient made up of HClO4 aqueous solution 10(-3) mol L(-1) and acetonitrile. For the quantitation, external standard and standard addition methods were compared. Both methods gave similar results, so the most convenient method, external standard, was chosen for acids quantitation. Then the method had been validated and applied to the semi-quantitative analysis of formic and acetic acids and to the quantitative analysis of the others compounds in industrial reaction mixtures with concentrations ranging from 20 to 570 ppm.

Application of polymethacrylate resin as stationary phase in liquid chromatography with UV detection for C1-C7 aliphatic monocarboxylic acids and C1-C7 aliphatic monoamines

The application of unfunctionized polymethacrylate resin (TSKgel G3000PWXL) as a stationary phase in liquid chromatography with UV detection for C1-C7 aliphatic monocarboxylic acids (formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, valeric acid, 3,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 4-methylvaleric acid, hexanoic acid, 2-methylhexanoic acid, 5-methylhexanoic acid and heptanoic acid) and C1-C7 aliphatic monoamines (methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, isobutylamine, butylamine, isoamylamine, amylamine, 1,3-dimethylbutylamine, hexylamine, 2-heptylamine and heptylamine) was carried out. Using dilute sulfuric acid as the eluent, the TSKgel G3000PWXL, resin acted as an advanced stationary phase for these C1-C7 carboxylic acids. Excellent simultaneous separation and symmetrical peaks for these C1-C7 carboxylic acids were achieved on a TSKgel G3000PWXL column (150 mm x 6 mm i.d.) in 60 min with 0.25 mM sulfuric acid containing 1 mM 2-methylheptanoic acid at pH 3.3 as the eluent. Using dilute sodium hydroxide as the eluent, the TSKgel G3000PWXL resin also behaved as an advanced stationary phase for these C1-C7 amines. Excellent simultaneous separation and good peaks for these C1-C7 amines were achieved on the TSKgel G3000PWXL column in 60 min with 10 mM sodium hydroxide containing 0.5 mM 1-methylheptylamine at pH 11.9 as the eluent.

Determination of some aliphatic carboxylic acids in anaerobic digestion process waters by ion-exclusion chromatography with conductimetric detection on a weakly acidic cation-exchange resin column

The determination of seven aliphatic carboxylic acids, formic, acetic, propionic, isobutyric, n-butyric, isovaleric and n-valeric acids in anaerobic digestion process waters was examined using ion-exclusion chromatography with conductimetric detection. The analysis of these biologically important carboxylic acids is necessary as a measure for evaluating and controlling the process. The ion-exclusion chromatography system employed consisted of polymethacrylate-based weakly acidic cation-exchange resin columns (TSKgel OApak-A or TSKgel Super IC-A/C). weakly acidic eluent (benzoic acid), and conductimetric detection. Particle size and cation-exchange capacity were 5 microm and 0.1 meq./ml for TSKgel OApak-A and 3 microm and 0.2 meq./ml for TSKgel Super IC-A/C, respectively. A dilute eluent (1.0-2.0 mM) of benzoic acid was effective for the high resolution and highly conductimetric detection of the carboxylic acids. The good separation of isobutyric and n-butyric acids was performed using the TSKgel Super IC-A/C column (150 mm x 6.0 mm i.d. x 2). The simple and good chromatograms were obtained by the optimized ion-exclusion chromatography conditions for real samples from mesophilic anaerobic digestors, thus the aliphatic carboxylic acids were successfully determined without any interferences.

Separation and conductimetric detection of C1–C7 aliphatic monocarboxylic acids and C1–C7 aliphatic monoamines on unfunctionized polymethacrylate resin columns

The application of unfunctionized polymethacrylate resin (TSKgel G3000PWXL) as a stationary phase in liquid chromatography with conductimetric detection for C1-C7 aliphatic monocarboxylic acids (formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, valeric acid, 3,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 4-methylvaleric acid, hexanoic acid, 2-methylhexanoic acid, 5-methylhexanoic acid and heptanoic acid) and C1-C7 aliphatic monoamines (methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, isobutylamine, butylamine, isoamylamine, amylamine, 1,3-dimethylbutylamine, hexylamine, 2-heptylamine and heptylamine) was attempted with C8 aliphatic monocarboxylic acids (2-propylvaleric acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, 2-methylheptanoic acid and octanoic acid) and C8 aliphatic monoamines (1,5-dimethylhexylamine, 2-ethylhexylamine, 1-methylheptylamine and octylamine) as eluents, respectively. Using 1 mM 2-methylheptanoic acid at pH 4.0 as the eluent, excellent separation and relatively high sensitive detection for these C1-C7 carboxylic acids were achieved on a TSKgel G3000PWXL column (150 mm x 6 mm i.d.) in 60 min. Using 2 mM octylamine at pH 11.0 as the eluent, excellent separation and relatively high sensitive detection for these C1-C7 amines were also achieved on the TSKgel G3000PWXL column in 60 min.

Study of mechanisms of chiral discrimination of amino acids and their derivatives on a teicoplanin-based chiral stationary phase

The behavior of a series of amino acids and some of their methyl ester hydrochloride, N-acetyl and N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl derivatives has been investigated on a teicoplanin-based chiral stationary phase by changing the chromatographic conditions, namely, the type and amount of mobile phase organic modifier and the ionic strength of the solutions. By using species with significantly different characteristics and chemical reactivity, some general conclusions regarding the chiral recognition process on this kind of stationary phase have been formulated. The importance of the carboxylic moiety for the formation of the complex between enantiomers and the aglycone basket of teicoplanin has been demonstrated via chromatography. Additionally, the increased possibility to make an hydrogen bond between the amidic hydrogen of the acetylated compounds and an amidic group on the stationary phase has been proposed to be pivotal for the stability of the complex aglycone D-enantiomer. Phenomena leading to the exclusion from the chiral stationary phase of one or both enantiomers have been rationalized by considering the ionic interactions between stationary phase, molecules to be separated and the surrounding medium and/or steric hindrance effects. The understanding of some of the observed phenomena may be important for optimizing the performance of the separation on aglycone-based media.

Ion-exclusion chromatographic behavior of aliphatic carboxylic acids and benzenecarboxylic acids on a sulfonated styrene--divinylbenzene co-polymer resin column with sulfuric acid containing various alcohols as eluent

The addition of C1-C7 alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, heptanol, hexanol and heptanol) to dilute sulfuric acid as eluent in ion-exclusion chromatography using a highly sulfonated styrene-divinylbenzene co-polymer resin (TSKgel SCX) in the H+ form as the stationary phase was carried out for the simultaneous separations of both (a) C1-C7 aliphatic carboxylic acids (formic, acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, valeric, 2-methylvaleric, isocaproic, caproic, 2,2-dimethyl-n-valeric, 2-methylhexanoic, 5-methylhexanoic and heptanoic acids) and (b) benzenecarboxylic acids (pyromellitic, hemimellitic, trimellitic, o-phthalic, m-phthalic, p-phthalic, benzoic and salicylic acids and phenol). Heptanol was the most effective modifier in ion-exclusion chromatography for the improvement of peak shapes and a reduction in retention volumes for higher aliphatic carboxylic acids and benzenecarboxylic acids. Excellent simultaneous separation and relatively highly sensitive conductimetric detection for these C1-C7 aliphatic carboxylic acids were achieved on the TSKgel SCX column (150 x 6 mm I.D.) in 30 min using 0.5 mM sulfuric acid containing 0.025% heptanol as eluent. Excellent simultaneous separation and highly sensitive UV detection at 200 nm for these benzenecarboxylic acids were also achieved on the TSKgel SCX column in 30 min using 5 mM sulfuric acid containing 0.075% heptanol as eluent.

Enantioselective ion-exclusion chromatography on teicoplanin aglycone and (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid stationary phases

Ion-exclusion chromatography is a well established technique for the analysis of achiral ionic species, but it has rarely been applied to chiral analytes. In this paper enantioselective ion-exclusion separations were developed on two commercially available HPLC phases: Chirobiotic TAG, based on teicoplanin aglycone, and Opticrown RCA (+), based on (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid. Chirobiotic TAG columns have a carboxylic acid group on the chiral ligand, which can be partially ionized to exclude anionic analytes by ionic repulsion. Under acidic conditions Opticrown columns have a cationic sublayer generated from the aminopropyl base silica that excludes cationic analytes. Both columns demonstrate a large dependence of efficiency on flow-rate, with the highest efficiencies at 0.1 ml/min on a 4.6 mm inner diameter column.

Retention modelling of electrostatic and adsorption effects of aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids in ion-exclusion chromatography. II. Calculations of adsorption coefficients in unbuffered eluents

Previous models for the retention behaviour of carboxylic acids in ion-exclusion chromatography are applicable only when the degree of ionisation of the analyte is constant over the entire chromatographic peak. When solutions of sulfuric acid are used as eluents, this condition applies only when the eluent concentration is considerably higher than that of the analyte. Since it is common for dilute solutions of sulfuric acid to be used as eluents, a retention model which accounts for unbuffered eluents has been developed. This model also considers the effects on retention of hydrophobic adsorption of the undissociated and dissociated forms of the analyte onto the stationary phase substrate, as well as the effects of organic solvents added to the eluent. The derivation of this model is presented and it has been evaluated using a comprehensive set of retention data obtained using three different sulfonated stationary phases over a range of eluent conditions. The adsorption coefficients calculated from the model are in accordance with expected trends and showed that both the undissociated and dissociated forms of the analyte acids were retained by hydrophobic adsorption effects, although this adsorption was much stronger for the undissociated analytes.

Fast separation of UV absorbing anions using ion-interaction chromatography

Ion-interaction chromatography on a short (30 x 4.6 mm) 3 microm ODS column has been investigated with the aim of developing fast chromatographic separations of selected inorganic anions. Tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBA-Cl) was used as the ion-interaction reagent in mobile phases that also contained up to 20% methanol. Separations of simple test mixtures of up to eight UV absorbing anions illustrated how excellent efficiencies (>50,000 plates/m) could be obtained under optimized conditions. The use of an optimised mobile phase containing 20 mM TBA-Cl and 20% methanol resulted in the baseline separation of five important anions (iodate, bromate, nitrite, bromide and nitrate) in a separation window of just 28 s, with a shortest total analysis time of 50 s. The method was briefly applied to the rapid analysis of nitrite and nitrate in both a drinking water and a river water sample with a view to future on-line monitoring.

Optimization methods in chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Many methods have been developed in order to optimize the parameters of interest in either chromatography or capillary electrophoresis. In chemometric approaches experimental measurements are performed in such a way that all factors vary together. An objective function is utilized in which the analyst introduces the desired criteria (selectivity, resolution, time of analysis). Simplex methods and overlapping resolution maps are declining. Factorial designs and central composite designs are more and more popular in electrodriven capillary separations since the number of parameters to master is much larger than in either GC or LC. The use of artificial neural networks is increasing. The advantage of chemometrics tools is that no explicit models are required, conversely the number of experiments to perform may be high and boundaries of the domain are not straightforward to draw and the approach does more than is required. When models are available optimization is easier to perform by regression methods. Computer assisted methods in RPLC are readily available and work well but are still in infancy in CE. Linear solvation energy relationships seem a very valuable tool but estimates of coefficients still require many experiments.