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Chemistry vocabulary · Analytical Methods

Chromatography

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

/ˌkrəʊməˈtɒɡrəfi/nounCommon term

In chemistry, chromatography means: A group of methods that separate the parts of a mixture as they travel at different speeds through a stationary phase, carried by a moving liquid or gas called the mobile phase.

In Turkish: kromatografi

How it is used

Used daily for analysis and purification. Common types are TLC (thin-layer), column chromatography, GC (gas) and HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography). You run, load or elute a column and read retention times or Rf values.

Example sentences

  1. We separated the two products by column chromatography on silica gel.

  2. Gas chromatography showed that the sample was 98% pure.

Common collocations

  • column chromatography
  • thin-layer chromatography
  • gas chromatography
  • run a column
  • mobile phase
  • mass spectrometryAn analysis method that turns molecules into ions, separates the ions by their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) and uses the result to find molecular mass and structure.
  • spectroscopyThe study of how matter absorbs or emits light and other radiation, used to identify substances and measure their amounts. UV-Vis, IR and NMR are common types.
  • polarDescribes a bond or molecule in which electrons are shared unevenly, so that one end is slightly negative and the other slightly positive. Water is a typical example.
  • solventThe substance, usually a liquid, that dissolves another substance to form a solution. Water is the most common one; ethanol, acetone and hexane are widely used organic ones.

More terms: Analytical Methods

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