Common Applications of Chromatography That You Would Have Never Guessed

Chromatography is a lab process commonly used to separate the individual componentsrnof chemical mixtures. The multi-step process operates on the principle that differentrnchemicals dissolve to different degrees or stick to a solid surface, scientifically known asrnadsorption and partition chromatography. There are a number of techniques ofrnchromatography but all of them are focused on only one aim; to identify the chemicalsrnin the mixture by the separation of the compounds. Chromatography is extremelyrnpopular and has emerged as a preferred method of scientific analysis because thernchemicals being analyzed do not undergo any molecular changes as a result of thernprocess. Chromatography finds uses in an incredible number of diverse applications,rnsome of the more common being: Forensic Testing Those who follow TV programs like law and order and CSI know how criminals arerncaught by the testing of crime scene evidence like blood or samples of cloth and fabric,rnidentifying the chemicals responsible for a building burning down or testing bloodrnsamples taken from dead bodies to determine the level of poisonous substances,rnalcohol, drugs, etc. The experts at the forensic laboratories are able to give an accuraternreason behind many crimes by conducting chromatography of the samples collectedrnfrom the crime scene. Food Testing The scandal that revealed that some vendors had been passing off horsemeat as beefrnserved to highlight the limitations of conventional methods of food analysis and threwrnchromatography into the limelight as it was very successfully used to determine thernorigins of the processed meat samples with great accuracy. A combination of twornmethods, high-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry was used tornsuccessfully determine if the processed meat was indeed beef or adulterated withrnhorsemeat. Every food testing that chromatography is used for is not necessarily gruesome; many of the leading food manufacturers use chromatography to maintain thernquality standards of their products so that customers are able to rely on the same tasternand experience every time they purchase a drink and more. Testing for Performance Enhancing Drugs It is common knowledge that many sportspersons take drugs that are specificallyrnintended to boost their performance in competitive sports. Since many of these drugsrnare banned, as a matter of routine, blood samples drawn from the winners of events arerntested in chromatography columns to see if there is any presence of the bannedrnsubstances in the blood samples. Doping tests are also conducted on horses becausernracing often involves very high stakes. Creating Vaccinations Chromatography has also been used successfully to save millions of lives because of itsrnwidespread use in the determination of the identification of antibodies capable ofrnfighting against viruses and diseases. Most notably, chromatography has been used inrnthe development of Zmapp, the experimental immunization process for finding out thernbest antibodies for neutralizing the deadly Ebola virus that was responsible forrnthousands of deaths in multiple countries. Conclusion With its diverse applications, chromatography has emerged as a very successful andrnaccurate tool for scientific researchers in various fields to test chemical mixtures torndetermine its constituents. Due to its versatility, it has found multiple applications inrnour everyday life ranging from forensics to the development of vaccines.