Analyte-deposition-based detection in column liquid chromatography: concept and examples.

Column liquid chromatography (LC) is a powerful tool for the separation of constituents of complex mixtures and it can handle a wide range of sample types and analyte classes. Today, the on-line combination of LC and a spectrometric detection technique for analyte quantification as well as identification purposes is a powerful and well-known approach. However, there are also situations in which the separation and detection conditions are not at all compatible. Semi on-line coupling via intermediate analyte deposition on a suitable substrate then offers an elegant solution, as will be described in some detail in the present review.