A chromatographic technique that separates molecules based on their charge by using a stationary phase with fixed ionic groups that exchange ions with the sample. Molecules with different charges interact differently with the charged resin, enabling separation.
Named for the 'ion exchange' mechanism where ions on the stationary phase are exchanged with ions from the sample, combined with 'chromatography.' Developed from early ion exchange resins used in water softening, adapted for analytical separations in the 1940s-50s.
Ion exchange chromatography is like a molecular dating service based on electrical attraction - positively charged molecules get attracted to negative columns and vice versa! It's so charge-sensitive that changing the pH by just one unit can completely reverse the order in which proteins come off the column.
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