Temperature dependence of retention in reversed-phase liquid chromatography on a porous acrylic support

The solute retention mechanism of reversed-phase liquid chromatography is examined by using newly synthesized hydrophilic porous copolymer beads as a stationary phase. It is shown that when water is used as an eluent, the retention time for solutes such as alcohols, ketones and polyethylene glycols increases with temperature. Adsorption behaviour of polyethylene glycol onto the copolymer beads shows that the adsorption also increases with temperature. These observations are explained on the basis of the hypothesis that hydrophobic interaction plays a vital role in solute retention.