A certified reference material for HPLC

A column and test samples have been produced as a Certified Reference Material (CRM) for use in HPLC. A round robin certification procedure has demonstrated that the retention and relative retention properties of the column, measured as the values of shape selectivity, hydrophobicity and ion-exchange activity at pH 7.0, under closely specified separation conditions, are reproducible irrespective of the instrument and laboratory. Concurrence with the CRM values can be used to confirm that an HPLC system is compliant with these specifications, in particular the mobile phase composition and column temperature. This will enable different laboratories to determine that they are operating under equivalent separation conditions, which is a necessary requirement for the efficient interlaboratory transferability of methods.