ABSTRACT
Many different chromatographic response functions (CRFs) have been proposed in the literature, and a number of studies have been devoted to discuss which CRF is the most suitable for solving separation problems of diverse complexity. This chapter aims at building upon these earlier works, and it presents a critical assessment of the different optimization criteria currently available for applying in 1-dimension (1D) and 2-dimension (2D) chromatography. It evaluates several chromatographic elementary criteria and their capabilities. The chapter compares the most relevant CRFs in terms of their application and their usefulness. The optimization strategy of a 2D chromatographic method requires studying the numerous physical and chemical parameters that affect the separation power of the whole methodology. Employing a CRF for optimizing the separation of fractions for which the chromatographic behavior of all the compounds cannot be predictable is obviously more difficult than using a CRF that focuses on a single parameter.
