The thermodynamics and the mass transfer kinetics of the chromatographic system made of phenol, in a water-acetonitrile mobile phase, on a C 18 RPLC column, were studied in the temperature range from 21 to 77 degrees C and the interstitial velocity range of 0.021 to 1.27 cm/s. The equilibrium isotherm was accurately approximated by a multilayer model assuming lateral interactions between adsorbed molecules. The parameters of the kinetics of the phenol mass transfer in this column were measured by the method of moments. These data were analyzed using the available models and correlations. It was proven that the parameters of the mass transfer kinetics measured under linear conditions could be successfully used for the prediction of the concentration profiles obtained under overloaded conditions. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.