Kovat's retention index

Kovat's retention index or simply Kovat's index is a method of quantifying the relative elution times of compounds in gas chromatography in such a way as to help positively identify the components of a mixture. The method takes advantage of the linear relationship between the values of log(t_r') and the number of carbon atoms in a molecule. The value of Kovat's index is usually represented by I in mathematical expressions. It's applicability is restricted to organic compounds. The Kovat's index is given by the equation

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Where;

I = Kovat's retention index,
n = the number of carbon atoms in the smaller alkane,
N = the number of carbon atoms in the larger alkane,
t_r' = the adjusted retention time.

References

• IUPAC Gold Book. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.