Microemulsions when used as mobile phases represent a very powerful chromatographic tool due to their polyphase structure. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the mobile phase composition and resulting microemulsion droplet's properties, as well as the stationary phase lipophilicity on the chromatographic behavior of pramipexole and its five impurities. Investigation was carried out according to the experimental plan defined by a full factorial design 2(4) with four central point replications. While the most affected by column characteristics was the last eluting, most lipophilic substance, the composition and characteristics of microemulsion droplets were equally important, so the partition system microemulsion droplets/stationary phase proved to be the most significant. Stationary phase lipophilicity did not affect the most hydrophilic component and only the partition system microemulsion droplets/bulk of the eluent impacted its behavior. For the separation of the critical pair, almost equal effects of the microemulsion droplets/stationary phase and bulk of the eluent/stationary phase partition systems were noted.
microemulsion liquid chromatography; MELC; partition behavior; experimental design; column lipophilicity; pramipexole
