What is Chromatography?
From Art to Science
 Chromatography is an important
biophysical technique that enables
the separation, identification, and
purification of the components of a
mixture for qualitative and
quantitative analysis.
 The Russian botanist Mikhail Tsvet
coined the term chromatography in
1906.
 The first analytical use of
chromatography was described by
James and Martin in 1952, for the
use of gas chromatography for the
analysis of fatty acid mixtures.
 A wide range of chromatographic
procedures makes use of
differences in size, binding affinities,
charge, and other properties to
separate materials.  stationary phase, and/or the
 It is a powerful separation tool that is
used in all branches of science and
is often the only means of separating
components from complex mixtures.
“Writing Color”
 Chromatography gets its name from
a technique first used in the late
19th century to separate pigments in
a complex mixture.
 If a sheet of paper or cloth contacts
a container filled with water or
alcohol in which a complex pigment
is dissolved, capillary action will
carry the mixture up the paper or
cloth, but the components of the
pigment will not all travel at the
same rate.
 The largest molecules of the mixture
will travel more slowly while the
smallest one’s race ahead, causing
the stationary phase to develop
discrete bands of color
corresponding to each component of
the mixture. This gives the technique
the name “chromatography” or
“writing color.”
 Chromatography was initially
used by artists, color theorists
and artisans hoping to perfect
industrial dyes for textiles. With
time, it also spawned a unique
branch of chemistry, and with it,
the techniques used today to
understand and purify mixtures.
 In modern laboratories, the color
aspect is no longer relevant, but
the same principles apply. By
dissolving a mixture of interest in
a mobile phase and transporting
it through a stationary phase, the
components of the mixture can
be separated from one another
based on their different speeds
of travel.
 By altering the mobile phase, the
factor determining speed of
travel, a wide variety of
chromatographic methods have
been created, each serving a
different purpose and ideal for
different mixtures. Some of the
most common forms of
chromatography are as follows
References:
https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/a
sk-a-scientist/what-is-
chromatography/
https://microbenotes.com/chromatog
raphy-principle-types-and-
applications/?
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