Inverse gas chromatography used to study lubricating oil oxidation mechanism via changes in Kovats and Flory-Huggins retention parameters.

Inverse gas chromatographic technique (IGC) was attempted as a new approach to follow the chemical changes that occur during lubricating base oil oxidation. Three groups of the oxidized base oils were prepared at different oxygen flow rates, periods and temperatures according to IP48 method. The corrected retention volumes (VR) were calculated for a series of selected test solutes possessing different functional groups on the oxidized base oils used as stationary phases.