Column Classification and Selection for the Determination of Antibiotics by Micellar Liquid Chromatography.

Seven commercially available: Zorbax C18, Kromasil C18, C8, cyano, phenyl, monolithic, and amino stationary phase columns, have been characterized and classified into broadly similar types to simplify column choice. The results were evaluated employing cluster analysis, which shows several interesting groups based on distances (Minkowski and Euclidean) in agreement with the manufacturer's claims: chain density of the stationary phase used, and the presence or not of a silica base. Finally, results showed that C18 columns offer the best chromatographic characteristics for separation and quantification of antibiotics in micellar liquid chromatography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]