The 'Solvophobic' Theory attempts to explain interactions between polar
and non-polar
solutes. In the aqueous solvent, there are relatively strong cohesive dipol-dipol forces between the water molecules due to
hydrogen bonding or other polar interactions. Hence, non-polar solutes tend not to be soluble in water because these solvent-solvent binding interactions must be overcome first. When applied to liquid chromatography (LC), the 'Solvophobic Theory' of Csaba Horváth and Imre Molnár attributes the retention of solutes on the stationary phase partly to the rejection of solute molecules by the solvent, and partly to the attraction of the solute molecules by the stationary phase.
[Satinder Ahuja, Selectivity and detectability optimizations in HPLC , ]
The strongest forces arise in the retention process in Reversed Phase Chromatography from the highly organized water structure.
