Chromatography is a scientific technique that uses a filter to separate the parts of a compound (often a liquid or gas). Since its invention in Russia in the early 1900s, scientists have never stopped using and perfecting this technique.
If you ever used a piece of filter paper to separate the colored pigments of a black marker or pen, you've done some basic paper chromatography yourself.
But what is chromatography used for in the real world? As it turns out, quite a bit. Read on to find out more about the purpose of chromatography in everyday life.
Drug Testing
If you've ever played a sport or applied for a job, you've probably taken a drug test at some point in your life. But have you ever wondered how they're able to take that blood or urine sample and identify exactly what substances are in it?
It turns out that a lot of this testing is possible because of gas chromatography. The liquid samples are heated until they become vapor and are then run through a machine full of a specific gas solvent. Lab technicians measure the retention time (how long each substance from the sample stays dissolved in the solvent).
Then, they plot the results on a chromatogram and compare them to those of known drugs. If the results are similar, they'll be able to tell exactly what kind of drugs you've used recently.
Food Safety
Back in 2013, the UK found itself amid a food crisis dubbed "The Horsemeat Scandal". Food testers found that several products labeled as processed beef actually contained horse and pig meat as well.
Eventually, investigators linked three Irish beef processing plants to the mislabeled meats. But how did investigators find out the beef wasn't bonafide?
The current methods of food testing were able to tell what type of meat was in a pure sample. But, as in this case, they couldn't identify the relative parts of processed meat. Investigators found that chromatography was exactly the tool they needed.
Scientists started by blending up the processed meats into a liquid and using chromatography to separate the parts. Then they compared the results to chromatograms of pure meat samples. This helped determine not only what kind of meats were present, but also their relative concentration.
Today, many types of food testing rely on chromatography. It's used to identify the levels of certain additives, detect milk spoilage, and determine the vitamin and mineral content of foods and drinks.
Alcohol Testing
Chromatography isn't only used to find substances that shouldn't be there. It's also a great way to ensure the things you do want show up in the same concentration every time.
That's what makes it such a valuable tool for breweries and liquor distilleries. Companies like Jägermeister use chromatography to check that the sugar content is the same between batches. This ensures that every bottle has its signature taste, and you always get the product you're expecting.
Forensic Investigations
The simple paper chromatography experiment above is many people's first foray into forensics. But this is more than a fun little high-school lab activity. Real forensic labs-even the ones in the FBI-use this exact technique every day to gather crime scene evidence.
Ink chromatography has helped solve many high-profile fraud, counterfeiting, and tax evasion cases. One of them is Martha Stewart's insider trading scandal. They convicted her in part because the ink pigments on suspicious financial documents didn't match the regular papers.
Chromatography is also useful during arson investigations. Investigators can take debris from a fire and use gas chromatography to find out if any liquid accelerants were used to start it.
It's also important to remember that drug tests aren't just for the living. If police suspect foul play or overdose, forensic analysts will often take a blood sample from the deceased for testing. They use the same type of chromatography as they would for athletic drug tests. The results will tell them what type and how much of a substance was in a person's blood at their time of death.
And finally, chromatography can be used to identify the contents of suspicious liquids, gases, and powders found at the scene of a crime. Who knew this technique was so vital for catching crooks?
Vaccinations
The Ebola virus has killed thousands of people across the African continent over the past decade. But thankfully, scientists have made progress on experimental antiviral medicines-and chromatography played a huge role in their discovery.
In 2012, researchers used chromatography to test the effectiveness of different antibodies in primates with Ebola. They found a few that worked, but they still need to conduct more experiments before they're approved for humans.
This method is also used to purify substances for other immunizations. Vaccines for HPV, AAV, and the chikungunya virus all exist thanks to the help of chromatography.
Biological Research
Many biological researchers use a technique called high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to gather data. It's useful for separating biomolecules like nucleic acids, proteins, and peptides to determine their concentration in a solution. Scientists doing drug research or investigating compounds produced by bacteria use HPLC quite often.
If their research focuses on extremely tiny particulate matter (or they're in a time crunch), scientists might transfer HPLC methods over to ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). This method uses a high-pressure environment to filter out particles as small as 2 µm (0.002 millimeters), allowing for far more precise results.
What Is Chromatography Used For? A Lot More Than You Might Think
So, what is chromatography used for in real life? The better question might be what isn't it used for. From maintaining the quality of our food and drinks to stopping crime and saving lives, we owe a lot to this scientific technique.
To learn more about how science affects our everyday lives, make sure to check out the other articles on our site.
