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.