Hello.
Need for news about the european project for a universal test for characterization of RP columns and where can I find articles about the advancement of this project.
Thanks.

Since nobody who is involved answers this, another case of the blind helping the deaf:
The last I saw something connected with this:
Euerby, Petersson, LC GC Europe, 13 (#9), 665 (2000)
and
Verstroeten, et al, Int Laboratory, 30, 20 (2000).

I am not actively pursuing this, my interest is secondary, in the sense of learning how different functional groups interact with stationary phases. Probably, the universal test will go the direction of the universal column: Counterproductive attempts to take the thinking out of analytics.

Watch this, I have it from LC Resources:

http://www.lcresources.com/assets/pdfs/hplc02mont.pdf

anonyme - I am actually not aware on any articles on the topic. Try to contact the participants e.g. R. Smith from Loughborough University (R.M.Smith@lboro.ac.uk) or K. Unger from the University Mainz. On the 24th Int. Symposium on Chromatography (Leipzig, Sept. 02) there were some talks on the topic. The key issue at the moment seems to be to get results from different labs reproducible. There are for instance differences in terms of resolution, peak shape and retention parameters depending on what type of column oven is used. Water baths are more reproducible then block type heaters. When set to 40 °C metal block heaters produce results that correspond to ca. 35 °C in water baths.
A short summary of the 24th ISC can be found here: www.abuske.clarant.de

Thanks Anon Nov. 19. This LC Resources article neatly shows up the problem with a "universal" test: At the end, amends are made in the characteristics terms (column parameters....) for the relatively new polar embedded columns. This also shows that the quest to push universal tests is similar and related to gunning for a universal column. Thus, Alex, since names have been mentioned here is Myers opinion of Ungerīs (and othersī) universal column:
Int Lab, 27(#7), 8b (1997). Iīll be glad to send anybody a copy if they have trouble getting at the mag.

My nightmare: We here in Europe are happily keeping ourself busy with our universal column, testing it with our universal test substances, while the rest of the world has discovered and uses the ideal chromatography.

Can anybody help?

I'd like to access the article referred to by Anon form Nov 19, and obviously read by Dr Mueller, ie http://www.lcresources.com/assets/pdfs/hplc02mont.pdf

However, this link doesn't work for me and I get "access forbidden" messages.

It worked for me, but took forever to load. and I have a P4.

Which of the European projects are you referring to? The old one, or the new one, or private exercises, or all of them?