Retention behaviour of 1,n-halo(alkylthio)alkanes in HPLC

The RPLC retention of 1,n-halo(alkylthio)alkanes on an ODS phase with methanol/water (95%/5%) has been investigated. Replacement of a methyl group in a dialkyl sulphide R-S-R by a halogen atom X, to yield the title compounds X-(CH₂)_n-S-R, generally results in a retention decrease. This retention loss results either from the halogen atom proper, or from its immediate vicinity, or from a reduced retention contribution of the alkyl units. The methylene groups (n) between halogen and sulphur produce somewhat greater retention than the methylene groups in the alkyl groups R.