Lecture 23 summary

Chromatography is ubiquitously applied method in the biochemical laboratory for separation and analysis of complex mixtures. Protein purification, for example, is absolutely dependent on chromatographic methods. Some basic terminology and definitions for chromatography are introduced, and a contextual overview of applications is presented. There is a distinction to be made between analytical and preparative applications, as well as between quantitative and qualitative analytical applications. Three types of chromatography comprise the most common biochemical applications: ion-exchange, molecular size-exclusion, and affinity chromatography.