After you have worked with liquid chromatography (LC) for several years, adjustment of the mobile phase to move peaks around comes almost as second nature. To the newcomer, however, such changes border on magic. One of the rules of thumb that I teach in my short courses is "nothing's magic". This is meant to remind us that chromatography is a very systematic process - study it carefully and you will minimize your surprises. In this month's instalment of "LC Troubleshooting," we'll look at solvent strength and see how we can use it to make predictable changes in the peak movement for reversed-phase LC separations. Hopefully, you will be able to make some practical use out of the principles presented here the next time you need to develop or adjust a method.