One of the things we cover in our Advanced HPLC Method Development course is the use of a "scouting gradient" to quickly (as little as 5-7 minutes with the right column geometry!) establish things like:
- can the separation be run on this column?
- if not, what to I switch to?
- if yes, can I do it isocratically or will I need a gradient?
- if I can do it isocratically, what's a reasonable %B to start with for method development?
- if I need a gradient, what are reasonable initial and final %B values?

We've actually put together a spreadsheet that does all the calculations:

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If anyone is interested in getting a copy, send an e-mail to:
gradient-screening-request@lcresources.com

You can put anything you want in the subject or the body. You will get an automated reply with the download link. Obviously, please make sure that your spam filter is set to "whitelist" e-mail from lcresources.com so that it gets through. The "quid pro quo" here is that you will be added to our mail list to receive announcements about upcoming courses (you can unsubscribe from the list at any time).