What is chromatography primarily used for?

Chromatography is primarily used to separate mixtures, which is fundamental to its function and application in various scientific fields. The technique takes advantage of the different chemical and physical properties of substances within a mixture, such as solubility and affinity to stationary or mobile phases.

During the process, a mixture is placed on a stationary phase, such as paper or a column filled with a solid material, and a solvent (the mobile phase) is moved through or along this stationary phase. The components of the mixture travel at different rates depending on their interactions with both the stationary and mobile phases, leading to their separation.

This ability to separate components makes chromatography a vital tool in fields such as chemistry, biochemistry, and environmental science, where it is commonly used to analyze the composition of substances, identify chemicals, or separate components for further study.