Reversed-phase superheated water

Superheated water at 100°-240 °C, with its obvious benefits of low cost and low toxicity, was proposed as a solvent for reversed-phase chromatography.59 Hydrophobic compounds such as parabens, sulfonamides, and barbiturates were separated rapidly on poly(styrene-divinyl benzene) and graphitic phases. Elution of simple aromatic compounds with acetonitrile-water heated at 30°-130 °C was studied on coupled colums of zirconia coated with polybutadiene and carbon.60 The retention order on the polybutadiene phase is essentially uncorrelated to that on the carbon phase, so adjusting the temperature of one of the columns allows the resolution of critical pairs of... 

Smith, R.M. and Burgess, R.J. 1997. Superheated water as an eluent for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A, 785 49-55. 

R. M. Smith and R. J. Burgess, Superheated water—A clean eluent for reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, Anal. Commun. 33 (1996), 327-329. 

R. M. Smith, R. J. Burgess, O. Chienthavorn, and J. R. Stuttard, Superheated water a new look at chromatographic eluents for reversed-phase liquid chromatography LC-GC Internal. 12 (1999), 30-36. 

Reversed-phase separations using superheated water have not found any major applications so far, but a wide range of low molecular mass polar compounds have been separated at modest temperatures with relatively simple and rugged instrumentation. It has potential for wider use in laboratories that wish to reduce consumption of organic solvents. In addition, superheated water should be compatible with on-column preconcentration techniques for trace analysis... 

Smith, R.M. Burgess, R.J. Chienthavom, O. Rose, J. Superheated water A new look at chromatographic eluents for reversed-phase liquid chromatography. LC-GC1999,17 (10), 938 945. 

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