Chromatography - it's just a box
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My main reason for setting up this site is because I noticed that the same chromatography questions were appearing regularly on newsgroups from school children, students and frustrated parents trying to help their children with their homework/project.  

Although there are many good sites (and books!) out there on chromatography, this is my attempt to give someone a basic outline of the principles and applications. Enough for a decent homework mark anyway! Plus some items of interest even for experienced chromatographers.

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Chromatography science fair 
What is chromatography?
What is happening?
What types are there?

Yes, but what have the chromatographers ever done for us?!

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Recollections  - Boxes (GCs) I have known

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From The Simpsons to Saturn   - chromatography turns up in some surprising places

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Nuggets   it could have been called Tswettography

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Links

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Acknowledgements

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Why the name?  Many years ago, school leavers came for interview in a chromatography lab that I knew of. They were escorted into the office, interviewed and escorted straight out. They probably hadn't been in a lab. before and the staff thought it was a shame that they didn't see any of it. It was suggested to the manager that he could at least show them the instruments before they left.

As he was escorting the next one out after interviewing he must have suddenly remembered the request - stopped, pointed to an instrument and said "That's a gas chromatograph - it's just a box".

Updated January 2019 - a tribute to my late father Ralph Calvert who made this site many years ago. Thank you to all who wrote to him, he loved helping and talking to you all.