Method for the classification and selection of stationary phases in gas chromatography

Abstract A new method of classification is applied to 233 stationary phases used in gas chromatography. Clustering together all those which have similar chromatographic behaviour, 45 are found to be singular in the sense that no other stationary phase exhibits similar characteristics and therefore they may not be replaced by any other. The remaining 188 stationary phases may be reduced to 33 selected liquids which may represent the larger set of 188, in the sense that all selectivity possibilities of the 188 stationary phases are retained in the 33 selected. A further reduction in the number of selected stationary phases will adversely affect the separation capacity of the set. The selected list of 33 stationary phases is not unique, and many of them may be replaced by an equivalent one without any loss in separation capacity.