Chromatography

Chromatography

Definition:

“A technique by which we can separate components of a mixture due to their different distribution between stationary and mobile phase is called Chromatography”

Chromatography, literally meaning "color writing"

History of Chromatography

• It was first employed by Russian scientist Mikhail Tsvet in 1900

• It was primarily for the separation of plant pigments such as chlorophyll, carotenes, and xanthophyll

• New types of chromatography developed during the 1930s and 1940s made the technique useful for many separation processes

• Chromatography technique developed substantially as a result of the work of Archer John Porter Martin and Richard Laurence Millington Synge during the 1940s and 1950s

• Advances are continually improving the technical performance of chromatography

Components

Components of Chromatography:

Mixture containing Analyte

Stationary Phase

Mobile Phase

Principle of Chromatography

A component which is quite soluble in the stationary phase will take longer to travel through it than a component which is not very soluble in the stationary phase but very soluble in the mobile phase

Types of Chromatography

Adsorption Chromatography

It utilizes a mobile liquid or gaseous phase that is adsorbed onto the surface of a stationary solid phase

Partition Chromatography

This form of chromatography is based on a thin film formed on the surface of a solid support by a liquid stationary phase. Solute equilibrates between the mobile phase and the stationary liquid

Uses of Chromatography It can be used in crime scene investigations

In hospitals it can be used to detect alcohol levels in a patient's blood stream

It can be used for environmental agencies to determine the level of pollutants in water supplies

It can be used to purify chemicals needed to make a product in a manufacturing plant

It can be used by pharmacists to determine the amount of each chemical found in each product