Partition Chromatography
From TheLiquidPhase
According to IUPAC Partition Chromatography is...
Chromatography in which separation is based mainly on differences between the solubility of the sample components in the stationary phase (gas chromatography), or on differences between the solubilities of the components in the mobile and stationary phases (liquid chromatography)[1]
History
According to (Lederer 1994), the first papers on Partition Chromatography refered to the technique as "Liquid-Liquid Chromatography". Before publishing, the editor of Biochemical Journal changed this term to Liquid-Liquid Partition Chromatography. Soon the "Liquid-Liquid" was dropped as chromatographers adopted "Partition Chromatography" to be synonomous with liquid-liquid systems. However, the term, 'partition chromatography' was also used to refer to systems wherein one of the liquid phases was immobilized with a solid support (e.g. HPLC or GC).
Unfortunately, this shortened term is simply not descriptive enough to relate only to chromatographic methods with a liquid stationary phase. Partitioning can happen between a liquid and a solid just as it can between two liquids. Unfortunatly this issue was not addressed for many years. So it is from here that we get the historical background on the improper relationship between "Partition Chromatography" and Liquid-Liquid Chromatography.
Relationship with Countercurrent Chromatography
Countercurrent Chromatography is by modern definition, a form of Partition Chromatography. However, Partition Chromatography does not refer directly to Countercurrent Chromatography.
References
- IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology
- M. Lederer, Chromatography for Inorganic Chemistry, Wiley, New York, 1994