STRATEGIES FOR SOLVENT SELECTION - A LITERATURE-REVIEW

Legislation restricting the use of certain chemicals will affect the c hoice of reagents available to analytical laboratories. Analysts may t herefore be faced with the problem of finding alternative solvents for established methods, and when developing new methods will want to avo id certain types of compound (e.g., chlorinated solvents which deplete the ozone layer). A review is presented of the literature available w hich will help analysts to select alternative solvents, with particula r emphasis on solvent extraction and liquid chromatography. Methods of classifying solvents are discussed and tables of solvent properties a re given. Strategies for optimising mobile phases for high performance liquid chromatography are also described in detail.