Chromatography: meaning, definitions and examples
🔬
chromatography
[ ˌkrōməˈtägrəfē ]
chemical analysis
Chromatography is a laboratory technique used for the separation of a mixture into its individual components. It works on the principle of differential partitioning between a stationary phase and a mobile phase. This method is widely applied in chemistry and biochemistry for purifying chemical substances and analyzing compounds.
Synonyms
analytical method, separation technique.
Examples of usage
- Chromatography can be used to separate pigments in ink.
- We applied chromatography to analyze the composition of the essential oils.
- The method of chromatography helped identify the contaminants in the sample.
Etymology
The term chromatography comes from the Greek words 'chroma', meaning 'color', and 'grapho', meaning 'to write'. It was first introduced by the Russian botanist Mikhail Tsvet in the early 20th century, around 1906. Tsvet developed the method to separate plant pigments, and his work laid the foundation for modern chromatography. Initially, the process involved separating colored compounds based on their physical and chemical properties. Over the years, the technique evolved, and today it encompasses a variety of methods such as gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, and thin-layer chromatography, each used for different types of mixtures and analysis. Chromatography has since become an indispensable tool in fields such as chemistry, biochemistry, environmental analysis, and forensic science.