Conclusion

This article has presented as many advanced separation methods as possible for complex mixtures. It is not possible to be exhaustive, and specific methods have not been presented. Major advances in sample processing have not been presented.

Major modern developments are driving the miniaturization of analysis methods: lab-on-a-chip. Since miniaturization is associated with a reduction in the quantities of consumables used, the benefits are obvious. A mobile phase vial used for an afternoon's work 20 years ago in HPLC can be used for a month's work in UHPLC with flow rates in μl · min ^–1 instead of ml · min ^–1 .

The trend is also towards combining methods to achieve significant synergy. The mass spectrometer is becoming increasingly miniaturized, making...