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New HPLC phases with supramolecular selectors on the basis of calixarenes and resorcinarenes were investigated for the first time by means of empirically based test mixtures. The tests, originally developed for common reversed phases, were chosen to evaluate fundamental chromatographic properties of the new materials. In the first part of these studies three descriptors (hydrophobic retention capacity--k'(hyd), hydrophobic selectivity--alpha(hyd), steric selectivity--alpha(ster)) were determined. Except of higher alpha(ster) values and alpha(hyd) values with some methods for the resorcinarene phase the phases with supramolecular selectors were classified as less hydrophobic possessing lower hydrophobic and steric selectivities compared to three RP-C18 phases and a p-tert-butyl phenyl ether phase. The results were confirmed by means of a separation of geometric isomers of thioxanthenes. In contrast, in spite of lower k'(hyd) and alpha(hyd) values calixarene phases were more selective than the Kromasil-C18 phase in the separation of gestagenic and androgenic steroids due to specific interactions with the steroids of similar lipophilicity.

The chromatographic behavior of six calixarene-bonded stationary phases is reported. Varying analyte selectivities (i.e., for phenols, substituted aromatics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, barbituric acid derivatives, xanthines) exist as a function of the ring-size of the calix[n]arenes (n=4, 6, 8) and the substitution at the "upper rim" with para-tert.-butyl groups. Although eluents with unusually high proportions of water were used, a comparison with conventional reversed-phase (RP) columns shows a predominantly reversed-phase character with remarkable selectivities of these phases. The influences of several organic solvents on retention variations of solutes are compared for RP-C18, phenyl and calixarene phases.