The term chromatography describes a variety of techniques that are used to separate a substance or mixture into its components. Many products are used during different stages of chromatography workflows, including solvents, standards and reagents. Chromatography can be preparative or analytical,or used to measure the amount or proportion of specific components in a substance.
The choice of chromatography method depends on the specific application and substance, as well as the polarity of the separation media and solvent. Commonly used chromatography methods include:
- Liquid chromatography
- High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC): one of the most frequently used research and analytical techniques; great for small molecule analysis
- Flash chromatography: ideal for separating large sample volumes
- Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC): uses ion exchange to separate large biomolecules
- Thin layer chromatography: silica-coated glass or alumina plates are dotted with a substance; one end of the plate is immersed in solvent, which carries and separates the components as it travels
- Gas chromatography
- Samples are heated to a gaseous state
- Well-suited for petrochemical, environmental, and industrial chemical research and testing
