History of liquid chromatography

Abstract

It is common sense among historians of science to credit the merit of the invention of liquid chromatography to the Russian botanist M. S. Tswett. The landmark is a report published by him in 1903 about the newly invented technique. However, there are many records related to chromatography prior to Tswett. There are records of experiments dating to the year 77 in ancient Rome. The history of liquid chromatography has interesting discoveries and inventions as well as disputes between groups of researchers who in one way or another helped it to become one of the most widely used analytical techniques today. Reading the history of liquid chromatography is an interesting way to learn about the technique and to discover how creative solutions to the analytical challenges of each era were designed. Most described experiments and techniques developed are still used nowadays. The construction of the first chromatography system is also described in detail. It was constructed almost entirely with pieces commercially available and was able of separating, derivatize and detect a complex mixture of amino acids and peptides. Its use led the builders to the Nobel Prize in chemistry.