Rigidly porous Amberlite XAD copolymers with large surface areas were Investigated as packings for chromatographic applications and were shown to differ In adsorption power. Batch distribution coefficients and retention volumes (capacity factors) were determined for substituted benzenes, anilines, phenols, benzoic acids, sulfonic acids, and phenoxyacetlc adds at different experimental conditions. Variables that influence the Interactions between organic molecules and the copolymers Include: pH, type and concentration of organic solvent mixed with water or with other organic solvents, type, number, and position of substituents In the organic molecule, and the concentration of added electrolyte. Electrolyte and pH are the most significant variables for organic acids and bases. These data provide a basis for choosing eluting conditions and adsorbent for separation, stripping, and concentrating applications In reversed phase gravity flow and high pressure liquid chromatography.The commercially available Amberlite XAD series of copolymers, which have large surface areas and rigid, near permanently porous structures, have been shown to be good adsorbents for a wide variety of organic compounds. Many examples are available in the literature which describe the removal of impurities in sugars, meat products, and water, and the isolation of steroids, carotenoids, toxic drugs, and other biologically important compounds from urine or blood, utilizing a stripping column usually made with XAD-2 macroparticles (1-7). XAD-2 stripping columns are now routinely used in screening urine for drugs of abuse (8-10). Recently, the use of XAD-2 for stripping drugs and related compounds from urine, blood, tissue samples, and stomach contents was reviewed (11). In general, the conditions utilized for stripping were derived empirically.The XAD copolymers have not been extensively used in analytical columns in liquid chromatography. Macro XAD-2 particles and gravity flow elution were used in the separation of chlorinated and nitrated phenol derivatives (1) while micro XAD-2 particles and high pressure elution were used in the separation of aniline and pyridine derivatives (12). Subsequently, XAD-7 columns were used to separate phenols (13) and IV-methyl anilines and methyl substituted phenols were separated on XAD-2 columns ( 14) by HPLC. The nature of the interaction between the XAD copolymers and organic compounds was also considered in these (1,(12)(13)(14) and other studies (15,16).In this report, experiments which demonstrate the significance of the parameters that influence the sorption of organic compounds on XAD columns, are described. These include: structure of the XAD copolymer and of the organic compounds being separated, pH, salt concentration, and type and concentration of the solvents in the eluting system. With these data it should be possible to predict optimum conditions for stripping and quantitative separations and to serve as a basis for suggesting other polymeric structures that might be useful as chromatographic packin...