ABSTRACT
Following extraction and cleanup, the analytes of interest must be separated from the myriad individual compounds usually present in the biological extracts. During the 1970s, most chemical separations were carried out using a variety of chromatographic and other techniques including open-column chromatography, paper chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, and classic electrophoresis. However, these techniques were often inadequate to provide resolution between structurally similar compounds. In the last two decades, high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary gas chromatography, high-performance thin-layer chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis have matured into popular separation techniques.
