ABSTRACT
Method development in chromatography consists of a number of steps. A complete expert system for method development in chromatography should therefore contain not only heuristic knowledge, but also algorithmic methods. In the early 1980's, expert systems were introduced in chromatography. Expert system shells provide the inference engine, the explanation facility, the user interface, and, finally, the empty knowledge base. The application of expert systems for chromatographic method development should also offer a serious advantage in time saving. The earliest expert system for method development in chromatography, Expert Chromatographic Assistance Team, was originally developed by Bach et al. Lu and Huang built an expert system called ESC for method development in gas chromatography and HPLC. Several stand-alone expert systems were developed, covering the entire field of chromatographic method development. In a laboratory environment, expert systems can select the starting conditions and follow up with an optimization, if necessary.
