Countercurrent chromatography: Itoʹs solvent classification analysed with Boolean experimental designs

The setting up of an analytical Countercurrent Chromatography (CCC) instrument involves many variables. Experimental designs were used to study the retention of the liquid stationary phase in the chromatographic column. The influence of five factors was analysed, but no clear conclusions could be drawn from the experimental results analysed with the classical regression model generally used with experimental deigns because several high-order interactions remain without explanation. In contrast, the same results analysed using a Boolean experimental design gave a good explanation of the behavior of each of the three types (Itoʹs classification) of solvents. High-order interactions were explained and the right settings of the instrument has been obtained to satisfy the running experimenterʹs needs. application of Boolean designs, a special setting of the instrument was determined to obtain the highest possible retention with a particular kind of solvent. In this case, it has been found that there is one practical setting for low-density mobile phases and one another for high-density mobile phases.