Introduction

Abstract

The first person to use the term chromatography was Tswett (1872–1919) the Russian chemist. He used chromatography, from the Greek for colour —chroma and write — graphein to describe his work on the separation of coloured plant pigments into bands on a column of chalk [1,2]. It was not until the 1930s that chromatography in the form of thin-layer and ion-exchange chromatography became a regularly used technique. The 1940s saw the development of partition chromatography and paper chromatography with gas chromatography following in 1950. The 1960s saw a rapid rise in the routine use of chromatography as a universal technique, particularly in chemistry, biology and medicine. It is now used as a production process and yet is sensitive enough for trace analytical techniques.