Definition

Noun: A chromatogram is the visual output or record produced by a chromatographic process. It is typically a column, paper strip, or digital graph on which the separated components of a mixture appear as distinct bands, peaks, or spots.

Usage

A chromatogram is the primary data result in chromatography, used to analyze the composition of a mixture. It shows how far different substances have traveled or how long they took to pass through the system, allowing for their identification and quantification.

Examples

• The scientist analyzed the chromatogram to determine the purity of the sample.
• Each peak on the gas chromatogram corresponds to a different chemical compound.
• The chromatogram revealed two distinct colored bands, indicating a mixture of two pigments.

Advanced Usage

• Baseline: The portion of the chromatogram recording the signal from the mobile phase alone, when no analyte is being detected.
• Retention Time: The time it takes for a specific component to travel through the system and appear on the chromatogram; a key identifying characteristic.
• Peak Area/Height: The size of a peak on a chromatogram, which is proportional to the concentration of that component in the mixture.

Variants and Related Words

• Gas Chromatogram (GC): A chromatogram produced by gas chromatography.
• Liquid Chromatogram (LC): A chromatogram produced by liquid chromatography.
• Paper Chromatogram: A chromatogram produced on a strip of paper.
• Thin-Layer Chromatogram (TLC): A chromatogram produced on a thin layer of adsorbent material coated on a plate.
• Chromatography (n): The laboratory technique for separating a mixture by passing it through a medium.
• Chromatograph (n/v): The instrument used to perform chromatography; or the act of performing chromatography.

Synonyms

• Chromatographic Record: A more descriptive synonym.
• Elution Profile: A term often used interchangeably, especially in column chromatography, describing the graphical output.
• Separation Trace: A general term for the graphical record of a separation process.

Related Phrases

• To develop a chromatogram: The process of allowing the mobile phase to move through the stationary phase to separate the components and produce the visual record.
• To read/interpret a chromatogram: To analyze the peaks, bands, or spots on the chromatogram to gain information about the mixture.

Noun

1. the recording (column or paper strip) on which the constituents of a mixture are adsorbed in chromatography