chromatography

American  

[kroh-muh-tog-ruh-fee] / ˌkroʊ məˈtɒg rə fi /

noun

Chemistry.

1. 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 liquid.

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chromatography British  

/ ˌkrəʊmətəˈɡræfɪk, ˌkrəʊməˈtɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the technique of separating and analysing the components of a mixture of liquids or gases by selective adsorption in, for example, a column of powder ( column chromatography ) or on a strip of paper ( paper chromatography ) See also gas chromatography

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chromatography Scientific  

/ krō′mə-tŏg′rə-fē /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• chromatographer
  noun
• chromatographic
  adjective
• chromatographically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of chromatography

First recorded in 1725–35; chromato- + -graphy

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chromatography

Plastic additives are subjected to solid phase extraction with analysis by gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026

The segments are broken up or mixed with solvents before being put through a chromatography process.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

Further analysis using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry showed that the limits of detection ranged from 0.006 to 0.035 µg/kg, while the limits of quantification ranged from 0.019 to 0.133 µg/kg.

From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026

"The excellent performance of two-dimensional liquid chromatography allowed separation of the flavoalkaloids from the much more abundant flavonoids, which is why we were able to detect these rare compounds for the first time in Cannabis."

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026

Gas chromatography of air samples might reveal blips of difference between substances released over a Glasgow football match, a committee meeting on academic promotions, and a summer beach on Saturday afternoon, all highly important.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas