ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the major methods in use that is column chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, High pressure liquid chromatography, and Gas Chromatography. The application of chromatographic techniques to the isolation and identification of natural products has enabled the natural products chemist to isolate minor components of complex mixtures and to detect the presence of trace amounts of a component of interest in a crude extract. Chromatographic methods thus occupy a central and vital position in the study of naturally occurring pesticides. Good chromatographic separations are thus achieved by the use of efficient columns and the choice of packing material/mobile phase combinations which are optimized for the separation in hand. Much of the original work on the isolation of insect and plant growth regulators and related natural products included liquid column chromatography as an integral part of the purification procedure.
