HPLC-screening method for the determination of the adsorption coefficient on soils

A HPLC-screening method for the determination of adsorption-coefficient (K(oc)) on soils is described. This simple and routinely applicable method serves as a reasonable compromise between batch equilibrium or soil column experiments and estimations of K(oc) from the n- octanol/water partition coefficient (P(ow)) or by using QSAR calculations. Since only the relationship between the retention times of the calibration substances and the test substance on a semipolar HPLC column and the known K(oc) values of the calibration substances is employed for the evaluation, no quantitative analytical method is required.