Chromatography is an analytical technique widely used in fields such as chemistry, biology, environmental science, and pharmaceuticals to separate the components of a mixture and identify substances between them. The process of chromatography is based on the interactions between two distinct phases: the stationary phase and the mobile phase. The stationary phase is fixed in place by a supporting material, while the mobile phase moves over it, carrying the solutes. As the mobile phase travels,...

Chromatographic techniques are classified in three ways: the classification is based on the physical state of the stationary and mobile phases, how the mobile phase and the stationary phase contact each other, or through the chemical or physical processes that isolate the components of the sample. Typically, the mobile phase is either a liquid or gas, while the stationary phase is either a solid or a liquid layer applied to a solid surface.
Chromatographic techniques are typically named by...

Chromatography is a technique used to separate compounds based on differences of partitioning between two phases, the stationary phase and the mobile phase.
The phase in which the compounds linger or on which the compounds adsorb is called the stationary phase, whereas the mobile phase is the solvent that carries the solutes to be analyzed. In traditional column chromatography, the mixture flows through the stationary phase, and the compounds partition between the stationary and mobile phases...

In chromatography, a solute moves through a chromatographic column and tends to spread, forming a Gaussian-shaped band. The longer the solute spends in the column, the broader the band becomes. The broadening can lead to overlaps within the column, affecting separation effectiveness.
The effectiveness of separation can be evaluated by determining the level of separation between two neighboring peaks in a chromatogram, which represents the individual components of a sample.
In chromatography,...

The chromatography technique was first invented in 1901 by Michael S. Tswett, a Russian botanist, to separate plant pigments using organic solvents. Further, in 1941, Archer John Porter Martin and R. L. M. Synge modified the technique by packing silica gel into a column. A mixture of amino acids was then separated on the packed column using chloroform and water mixture as the mobile phase. This was the first report on column chromatography. At present, column chromatography is a widely used...

Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is a chromatography technique that separates compounds based on their polarity. TLC typically uses polar silica gel, a form of silicon dioxide, as the stationary phase. The silica gel contains hydroxyl (OH) groups on its surface, which form hydrogen bonds with polar compounds, influencing their adhesion to the stationary phase.
To begin the analysis, a mixture of compounds is spotted on the starting line on the TLC plate using a thin capillary. The bottom of the...