Up-to-Date Definition
Chromatography is an analytical method for separating and identifying more than two chemical compounds in a mixture.
The separation in chromatography is based on the distribution of compounds between 2 phases: stationary phase and mobile phase.
The stationary phase is a phase that is fixed in place either in a column or on a planar surface. The mobile phase is a phase that moves over or through the stationary phase, carrying the analyte with it.
Chromatographic techniques have been more valuable in the separation and analysis of highly complex mixtures than any other.