[Indroduction of minicomputers into instrumental chromatographic technics]

Research in and development of computer techniques and large-scale integration technology have made considerable progress over the past thirty years. Examples of the development of gas chromatography, highly effective liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry apparatures are given to show the most up-to-date equipment enabling, in combination with computer tecniques, modernization, automation and economical retrieval and processing of the results of investigations. The authors discuss the uses of microcomputers, in particular the so called scientific programming pocket calculator and their anticipated contribution. There are also examples of automatic apparatus application, particularly those for therpay monitoring, i.e. primarily the estimation of the levels of certain highly effective drugs, or drugs with undesirable side-effects (e.g. diphenylhydantoin drugs, barbiturates, aminoplvyllin, etc.).