Alternative solvents in liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography for the separation of phenolic compounds

Regarding the growing interest in evaluating and reducing the environmental impact in analytical chemistry laboratories - particularly in chromatography - we investigated the use of six alternative, greener solvents: ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, dimethyl carbonate, propylene carbonate and Cyrene for the separation of phenolic compounds using LC × SFC. These solvents were assessed based on key criteria including elution range, peak width, resolution and selectivity. Their cost, toxicity, biodegradability and hazard potential were also considered. Our findings indicate that several of these greener alternatives show promising results comparable or complementary to the conventional solvents acetonitrile and methanol used in both dimensions. This work contributes to the ongoing evolution toward more sustainable laboratory practices and supports the necessary adoption of environmentally friendly solvents in analytical method development and routine chromatographic applications.