The influence of different background ultraviolet absorption reagents on the determination of alkyl sulfonates without ultraviolet absorption was investigated in the paper.The analytes were separated on a reversed-phase C18 column using background ultraviolet absorption reagents-organic solvent as mobile phase by high performance liquid chromatography with indirect ultraviolet detection.The rule and mechanism of different background ultraviolet absorption reagents in the determination and retention of alkyl sulfonates were investigated.The results showed that different types of background ultraviolet absorption reagents in the determination of alkyl sulfonates lead to different types of chromatographic peaks of alkyl sulfonates.When the alkyl sulfonate was determined with the cationic background ultraviolet absorption reagent，the peaks of samples were all positive.On the other hand，when the alkyl sulfonate was determined by the anionic or the amphiprotic background ultraviolet absorption reagent，the peaks of samples were all inverted.Through the comparison of different background ultraviolet absorption reagents，it could be found that the chromatographic peak is better for the determination of alkyl sulfonates using cationic ultraviolet absorption reagents.Among them，the imidazolium ionic liquid is the best and its detection response value is higher.