The present work
deals with the precise experimental determination
of the gas–liquid chromatography (GLC) retention factors (k) in a sufficiently large temperature range to allow the
calculation of the thermodynamic quantities associated with the sorption
process. Once isothermal retention factors of three homologous series
members of the type H-(CH2)
n
-Y (Y = CH3, OH, CN) were measured over a temperature
range of about 110 K on a low-polar PDMS (HP-1) capillary column and
checked for accuracy and precision by “arc plot” representation, the data were analyzed by applying different
forms of the van’t Hoff relationship. We compared the linear
versus nonlinear van’t Hoff plots representing situations characterized
by Δsolv
C
p
° = 0, Δsolv
C
p
°≠ 0 = constant, and
Δsolv
C
p
° = f(T), respectively (Δsolv
C
p
° represents the difference in isobaric
heat capacity associated with movement of the analyte between the
mobile and the stationary phase). The “logarithmic” and “quadratic” nonlinear
van ‘t Hoff equations were shown to be more appropriate than
the linear van‘t Hoff equation for determining enthalpy and
entropy of solvation. Special attention was devoted to the fitting
performance and extrapolation capability of models with nonzero Δsolv
C
p
°. By several metrics, the
quadratic model exhibits better behavior in extrapolations yielding
reasonable accuracy for retention time and/or enthalpy of solvation
predictions at temperatures located below the experimental range.