What is chromatography? Definition and disambiguation

Chromatography is a physical and chemical process. The term is derived from the Greek words chroma = colour and graphein = writing. In chromatography, the separation of a mixture of substances is based on the different distribution of the individual components between a stationary and a mobile phase. Unlike the mobile phase, the stationary phase does not move.

The aim of this chromatographic separation method is to separate complex mixtures in order to identify and quantify the compounds. Chromatography can be divided into different separation methods or applications, such as

• HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography)
• GC (Gas Chromatography)
• IEX (Ion Exchange Chromatography)