[kroh-muh-tog-ruh-fee] 
| the separation of mixtures into their constituents by preferential adsorption by a solid, as a column of silica (column chromatography) or a strip of filter paper (paper chromatography) or by a gel. |
chromatography chro·ma·tog·ra·phy (krō'mə-tŏg'rə-fē)
n.
Any of various techniques for the separation of complex mixtures that rely on the differential affinities of substances for a gas or liquid mobile medium and for a stationary adsorbing medium through which they pass, such as paper, gelatin, or magnesia. Also called absorption chromatography.
column chromatography n.
A form of partition chromatography in which a liquid phase flows down a column packed with a solid phase.
| chromatography (krō'mə-tŏg'rə-fē) Pronunciation Key
A technique used to separate the components of a chemical mixture by moving the mixture along a stationary material, such as gelatin. Different components of the mixture are caught by the material at different rates and form isolated bands that can then be analyzed. |
column chromatography
in analytical chemistry, method for separating mixtures of substances in which a liquid or gaseous solution of the mixture is caused to flow through a tube packed with a finely divided solid, which may be coated with an adsorbent liquid, or through a long capillary tube bearing a thin film of adsorbent liquid; the components of the mixture separate because they travel through the tube at different rates, determined by the degree to which each is retarded by interacting with the stationary material. See also gas chromatography; gel chromatography.
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