Abstract
Kline. Wise and May(1)(KWM)recently reported liquid chromatographic separation factors for seven different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's) dissolved in crude oil VS. aminosilane or polymeric octyldecylsilane substrates. The deuterolabelled materials were deliberately in∼ected into the oil for use as internal standards. KWM advocate this method as a useful cslibrating technique for complicated mixtures. The purpose of the present note is to show that the KIJM results are consistent with predictions of the theory of isotope effects in condensed phases(2′3) and are therefore of more general interest. Interpretation of chromatographic data in the context of the theory furnishes information about the interaction of PAH's with column substrate in the dilute Henry's law standard state. The analysis should stimulate a wider use of the technique advocated by KWM by placing it into a proper thermodynamic framework, thereby permitting useful theoretical rationalizations.