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Chromatography, the process by which the components of a mixture can be separated, has become one of the primary analytical methods for the identification and quantification of compounds. The basic principle is founded on the concentration equilibrium of the components of interest between two immiscible phases. One is called the stationary phase, because it is immobilized within a column or fixed upon a support, while the second, called the mobile phase, is forced through the first. The phases are chosen such that the components of the sample have differing solubilities in each phase. The differential migration of compounds leads to their separation. This hydrodynamic process, which has been constantly evolving since its discovery, is an analytical method that no laboratory involved in molecular analysis can ignore, as its applications are so numerous.