Feasibility of using gravimetry to measure excess adsorption effects of a binary solvent system in a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography column

A modified method for weighing HPLC columns filled with solvent is described. The method prevents the loss of traces of solvent from within the threads of the column. The method was tested by obtaining the weights of a C18 column filled with 10 different organic solvents, showing a standard deviation on the order of 0.1%. A plot of gross column weight versus solvent density showed excellent linearity. The method was then used to weigh a column filled with several acetonitrile–water mixtures. The gross column weights were lower than would have been predicted from the density of the acetonitrile–water mixtures. A likely explanation is the existence of an adsorbed acetonitrile-rich liquid on the surface of the C18 adsorbent, which caused the lower than expected weights due to the lower density of pure acetonitrile relative to the bulk mixtures. The volume of pure acetonitrile required for the observed weight discrepency was calculated. Based on the surface area of the column adsorbent, values of micromoles acetonitrile per square meter of surface area were determined. The values showed reasonable agreement with values obtained from published adsorption isotherm studies. This suggests that pycnometry may be a useful technique for adsorption studies. The limitations of the technique are discussed.