ABSTRACT
Molecules set in motion by the mobile phase (eluent) move through the stationary phase, suitably immobilized on a medium. The higher the affinity for the stationary phase and the lower the affinity for the mobile phase, the slower the analyte. As in a race, the fastest chemical species cover a prearranged distance in the shortest time, arrive at the “finish line,” and produce a detector signal proportional to the amount of analyte. The aggregation state of the mobile phase enables us to differentiate liquid, gas, and supercritical chromatographic techniques.
