HPLC / GC solvent reference

Solvent Selector & Miscibility Chart

Check whether two solvents are miscible, look up UV cutoff, Snyder polarity index and selectivity, boiling point and viscosity, and pick a solvent by its properties. Free, cited, and runs entirely in your browser.

Compiled by Hemant RawatLast reviewed July 2026How we verify

Check two solvents

Pick any two — or tap a cell in the chart below.

Solvent A

Solvent B

Result

Full miscibility chart

Miscible Partial Immiscible

	1-PrOH	DCE	Dioxane	IPA	AcOH	Acetone	ACN	Benzene	CCl₄	CHCl₃	cyHex	DCM	Et₂O	DMSO	EtOH	EtOAc	iOctane	MeOH	MEK	MIBK	MTBE	n-BuOH	BuOAc	Heptane	Hexane	NMP	Pentane	DMAc	DMF	Pyridine	t-BuOH	THF	Toluene	Et₃N	H₂O
1-Propanol
1,2-Dichloroethane
1,4-Dioxane
2-Propanol
Acetic acid
Acetone
Acetonitrile
Benzene
Carbon tetrachloride
Chloroform
Cyclohexane
Dichloromethane
Diethyl ether
Dimethyl sulfoxide
Ethanol
Ethyl acetate
Iso-octane
Methanol
Methyl ethyl ketone
Methyl isobutyl ketone
MTBE
n-Butanol
n-Butyl acetate
n-Heptane
n-Hexane
N-Methylpyrrolidone
n-Pentane
N,N-Dimethylacetamide
N,N-Dimethylformamide
Pyridine
tert-Butanol
Tetrahydrofuran
Toluene
Triethylamine
Water

General guidance for method development — miscibility varies with temperature, water content and proportions. Confirm critical mixtures at your working conditions. See methodology.

Quick reference

Common HPLC solvent properties

The properties chromatographers reach for most. See the fullUV cutoff andpolarity index tables, or the A–Z solvent list.

Solvent	UV cutoff	Polarity P′	Water	USP class
Acetone	330 nm	5.1	miscible	Class 3
Acetonitrile	190 nm	5.8	miscible	Class 2
Dichloromethane	233 nm	3.1	immiscible	Class 2
Dimethyl sulfoxide	265 nm	7.2	miscible	Class 3
Ethyl acetate	256 nm	4.4	partial	Class 3
Methanol	205 nm	5.1	miscible	Class 2
n-Hexane	195 nm	0.1	immiscible	Class 2
Tetrahydrofuran	212 nm	4	miscible	Class 2
Toluene	285 nm	2.4	immiscible	Class 2
Water	190 nm	10.2	miscible	not classified

How to use this tool

Use the miscibility chart above to check if two solvents will mix — pick them from the dropdowns or tap a cell.
Open any solvent page for its full property sheet (UV cutoff, polarity, boiling point, viscosity, USP class, safety) and what it mixes with.
Use Find a solvent to filter by UV cutoff, polarity, or water-miscibility when you need a solvent that meets specific criteria.

Why miscibility and UV cutoff matter

Miscibility decides whether a mobile phase stays one clear phase or splits into two layers — mixing an immiscible pair ruins a gradient and can damage a pump. A classic trap: methanol and acetonitrile are only partially miscible with alkanes like hexane, which surprises people switching between reversed-phase and normal-phase solvents.

UV cutoff is the wavelength below which the solvent's own absorbance drowns out your analyte. Acetonitrile (~190 nm) and methanol (~205 nm) are low enough for most UV detection; acetone (~330 nm) is not. The Snyder polarity index then helps you rank eluent strength on a single 0–10.2 scale.

Browse solvents

Full property sheet, miscibility and safety for each.

1-Propanol

C3H8O

UV 210 nm · P′ 4

1,2-Dichloroethane

C2H4Cl2

UV 228 nm · P′ 3.5

1,4-Dioxane

C4H8O2

UV 215 nm · P′ 4.8

2-Propanol

C3H8O

UV 205 nm · P′ 3.9

Acetic acid

C2H4O2

UV 230 nm · P′ 6

Acetone

C3H6O

UV 330 nm · P′ 5.1

Acetonitrile

C2H3N

UV 190 nm · P′ 5.8

Benzene

C6H6

UV 280 nm · P′ 2.7

Carbon tetrachloride

CCl4

UV 263 nm · P′ 1.6

Chloroform

CHCl3

UV 245 nm · P′ 4.1

Cyclohexane

C6H12

UV 200 nm · P′ 0.2

Dichloromethane

CH2Cl2

UV 233 nm · P′ 3.1

Diethyl ether

C4H10O

UV 218 nm · P′ 2.8

Dimethyl sulfoxide

C2H6OS

UV 265 nm · P′ 7.2

Ethanol

C2H6O

UV 210 nm · P′ 4.3

Ethyl acetate

C4H8O2

UV 256 nm · P′ 4.4

Iso-octane

C8H18

UV 215 nm · P′ 0.1

Methanol

CH4O

UV 205 nm · P′ 5.1

Methyl ethyl ketone

C4H8O

UV 329 nm · P′ 4.7

Methyl isobutyl ketone

C6H12O

UV 334 nm · P′ 4.2

MTBE

C5H12O

UV 210 nm · P′ 2.5

n-Butanol

C4H10O

UV 215 nm · P′ 3.9

n-Butyl acetate

C6H12O2

UV 254 nm · P′ 4

n-Heptane

C7H16

UV 200 nm · P′ 0.1

n-Hexane

C6H14

UV 195 nm · P′ 0.1

N-Methylpyrrolidone

C5H9NO

UV 285 nm · P′ 6.7

n-Pentane

C5H12

UV 190 nm · P′ 0

N,N-Dimethylacetamide

C4H9NO

UV 270 nm · P′ 6.5

N,N-Dimethylformamide

C3H7NO

UV 268 nm · P′ 6.4

Pyridine

C5H5N

UV 330 nm · P′ 5.3

tert-Butanol

C4H10O

UV 245 nm · P′ 4.1

Tetrahydrofuran

C4H8O

UV 212 nm · P′ 4

Toluene

C7H8

UV 285 nm · P′ 2.4

Triethylamine

C6H15N

UV — nm · P′ 1.9

Water

H2O

UV 190 nm · P′ 10.2

Guides & references

UV cutoff table (all solvents)Snyder polarity index & selectivity table Find a solvent by property What is polarity index (P′)?Snyder selectivity triangle Choosing an HPLC mobile phase Isocratic vs gradient elution Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is a solvent miscibility chart?

A miscibility chart is a grid that tells you whether two solvents will mix into one uniform phase (miscible), form two layers (immiscible), or mix only within a limited range (partially miscible). It is used to avoid phase separation when mixing mobile phases, doing extractions, or switching solvents.

How do I read the miscibility chart?

Pick one solvent on the left and one across the top; the cell where they meet shows miscible, partially miscible, or immiscible. On this site you can also just select two solvents and read the answer plus a short note.

What is the UV cutoff of a solvent?

The UV cutoff is the wavelength at which the pure solvent absorbs so strongly (an absorbance of 1 in a 1 cm cell) that it interferes with UV detection. Below that wavelength the solvent’s own absorbance swamps your analyte, so you should run UV detection above the cutoff. Acetonitrile (~190 nm) and methanol (~205 nm) are low; acetone (~330 nm) is unusable for most UV work.

What is the Snyder polarity index (P′)?

The polarity index P′ is a number (about 0 for hexane up to 10.2 for water) that ranks how polar a solvent is. It helps you estimate eluent strength in both reversed-phase and normal-phase HPLC and compare solvents on one scale.

Why are acetonitrile and methanol only partially miscible with hexane?

Polar solvents and non-polar alkanes follow the "like dissolves like" rule only weakly. At room temperature methanol and acetonitrile form two layers with hexane, heptane and other alkanes over part of the composition range — a common surprise when switching between reversed-phase and normal-phase solvents.

Acetonitrile vs methanol — which should I use in reversed-phase HPLC?

Acetonitrile has a lower UV cutoff (~190 vs ~205 nm) and much lower viscosity (less backpressure), and it is aprotic. Methanol is cheaper, is a proton donor (different selectivity), but is more viscous and absorbs at lower wavelengths less cleanly. Many methods try both because they give different selectivity.

See all questions →

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