Spectroscopy and the classification of liquid stationary phases in gas-liquid chromatography

Summary A table of data for acidity, basicity, polarity and London potential for stationary phases is given. These provide guidance in choosing a stationary phase for a given task from the 26 substances listed. The indices are calculated from infra-red shifts of 1-chlorobutane and the visible wavelength shifts of l₂ when they are dissolved in the stationary phases, from NMR estimates of acidity and basicity and from relative retention data. They replace the less reliable data of Burns and Hawkes. Methods of determining the indices are suggested that require only a gas chromatograph and can be applied by technicians with no specialized understanding of solution parameters. An attempt to add electron donoracceptor indices to the table was unsuccessful. A further table is given of the slopes of the log plots d(logt)/dC for use in extrapolating from one homologue to another on these stationary phases.