The fundamental chemical interactions governing the retention of 15 solutes in 40 micellar reversed-phase liquid chromatographic systems using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), methanol, n-propanol, and n-butanol as mobile phase additives are studied using linear solvation energy relationships (LSERs). The influence of solute properties on retention in MLC and the trends in the coefficients as a function of SDS and CTAB concentrations are investigated. The ability of the LSERs to account for the chemical interactions underlying solute retention is shown.