Part 1
Chromatography is an analytical technique that allows the separation of a mixture. A chromatographic setup consists of a stationary phase usually composed of a layer of solid medium or a liquid absorbed in the surface of solid support. E.g cellulose, silica and alumina and a mobile phase usually composed of liquid or gaseous medium e.g acetone, pure water etc. Following Russian scientist Mikhail Tsvet’s invention of the chromatographic method in 1900, it has undergone multiple evolutionary changes for the identification and characterisation of components isolated from mixtures.
TYPES OF CHROMATOGRAPHY TECHNIQUE
Chromatography can be categorized based on the nature of the stationary phase, mobile phase and analytes.
Categories based on Stationary phase: thin-layer chromatography, column chromatography, paper chromatography
Figure 1: Paper chromatography (source: Paper Chromatography: principle, Instrumentation, Procedure, Application, “https://noteshippo.com”)
Categories based on Mobile phase: Gas chromatography, Liquid Chromatography and High-performance chromatography
Categories based on a molecular characteristic (analyte) includes: Partition, Sze exclusion, Ion exchange chromatography and Surface adsorption
APPLICATIONS
Chromatography has found its application in various fields including;
Pharmaceutics, chemical industries, molecular studies, food industry, forensic science and lots more.