Chromatography Practice Test 2026 – All-in-One Guide to Master Chromatography Techniques!

Chromatography separates a mixture into its chemical components by moving them between a stationary phase and a mobile phase, so each component travels at a different rate. In forensics this lets scientists analyze substances recovered from crime scenes—like drugs, poisons, accelerants, residues, or inks—by identifying what chemicals are present and in what amounts. When paired with detectors or mass spectrometry, exact identities can be determined, helping to link materials to suspects, victims, or activities. It isn’t used to date artifacts, determine blood type, or sequence DNA—these tasks rely on radiometric dating, serology, and DNA sequencing, respectively—whereas chromatography’s strength is resolving and identifying the chemical components in a mixture from a scene.