CRITERIA FOR DEVELOPING RUGGED HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHODS

An approach is described that allows the ultimate ruggedness of chroma tographic methods to be rigorously included as an objective from the o utset of systematic method development. Ruggedness criteria are define d as derivatives of other (typically resolution-based) criteria. Numer ical estimates of ruggedness criteria can readily be obtained during s electivity optimization. It is necessary to consider ruggedness simult aneously with other objectives of the separation using multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) procedures. Three MCDM methods were considered in this work, viz., Pareto-optimality (PO) plot, Derringer's desirabil ity function and the multiple threshold approach (MTA), The characteri stics of these three methods are discussed and the feasibility of deve loping rugged separations by systematically varying the pH acid solven t composition is demonstrated.