noun

chromatography

kroh-muh-TOG-ruh-fee

Chromatography (noun) means a laboratory technique for separating the components of a mixture by dissolving it in a fluid and passing it through a material that each component travels through at a different speed, so they arrive separated and can be identified or measured. Example: “Chromatography confirmed that the sample contained three distinct pigments.”

noun

A laboratory technique for separating the components of a mixture by dissolving it in a fluid and passing it through a material that each component travels through at a different speed, so they arrive separated and can be identified or measured.

"Chromatography confirmed that the sample contained three distinct pigments."

"The lab uses gas chromatography to screen for pesticide residues."

technical A specific method of this kind, named for its mobile phase or setup — as in paper chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

"Paper chromatography is a classic school experiment for separating the dyes in felt-tip ink."

How to Use Chromatography

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA lab method that splits a mixture into its separate ingredients.

When to use it

Technical and neutral; standard in school science from about age fourteen upwards.

Memory tip

Chromatography separates; spectroscopy identifies by how a substance interacts with light. Instruments often chain the two together, as in GC-MS.

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Easily confused with

spectroscopy electrophoresis distillation

Common pairings

gas chromatography paper chromatography column chromatography chromatography paper run a chromatography

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ confirmed that the sample contained three distinct pigments.

Etymology

From Greek khroma 'colour' and graphein 'to write', from the technique's first demonstrations separating plant pigments into visible coloured bands.

Origin: Greek

Synonyms

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separation technique

Rhymes for chromatography

geography biography topography photography pornography calligraphy bibliography choreography autobiography cinematography

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does chromatography actually work?

A mixture is carried by a moving fluid, the mobile phase, across a stationary material, the stationary phase. Components that cling more to the stationary phase move slowly and those that prefer the mobile phase move fast, so the mixture spreads out into separate bands.

What is the difference between the mobile phase and the stationary phase?

The mobile phase is the liquid or gas that flows and carries the sample along. The stationary phase is the fixed material it flows over — paper, a coated plate, or packing inside a column. Separation comes from how strongly each component is attracted to each phase.

Why is it called chromatography if it does not always involve colour?

The earliest experiments separated plant pigments into visible coloured bands, which gave the technique its name. Modern versions mostly separate colourless compounds detected by instruments, but the name stuck.