ABSTRACT
The separation of a mixture into its individual components takes place in the chromatographic column. The column is a simple tube, a few centimeters long and a few millimeters in diameter, packed with particulate material through which the mobile phase permeates. Despite the apparent complexity of the modern chromatograph, the separation is completed in this very simple device, the remaining apparatus providing solvent storage, control of the mobile phase composition, adequate mobile phase inlet pressure, sampling facilities, detection and data processing. As a result of modern instrument design, the essential nature of the column is frequently lost in the electronic and engineering intricacy of the overall &ystem. Consequently, the importance of the column and its function may only be superficially understood, and the technique is not employed in the most efficient manner.
