What is chromatography? Definition and disambiguation

Chromatography is a physicochemical process. The term is derived from the Greek words chroma = color 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 respective compounds. In chromatography, different separation methods or applications are distinguished, e.g:

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