Excess adsorption of binary aqueous organic mixtures on various reversed-phase packing materials

Excess adsorption isotherms of acetonitrile and methanol from water were measured on eight commercial columns. Columns used in this study represent latest examples in column development and include three different poroshell columns (Kinetex-C18, Acsentis-C18 and Halo-C18) as well as conventional columns with significantly different adsorbent geometry (Allure-C18, YMC-C18) and various hybrid-silica columns (Gemini-C18, Xterra-C18 and XBridge-C18). Comparison of the excess adsorption isotherms measured on all these columns and expressed in surface specific form demonstrated significant similarity of the adsorption properties of all columns, which allows us to introduce the “standard adsorption isotherm” for reversed-phase C18-type columns. The methodology of the evaluation of the total amount of adsorbent in the column and effective surface area of the C18 modified adsorbent is also discussed. These terms are critical for successful evaluation of surface specific parameters.