JAMB - Chemistry (1995 - No. 1)

Chromatography is a technique that separates the components of a mixture based on their different rates of migration through a stationary phase and a mobile phase. 

• Mobile phase: The moving part of the chromatography setup.
• Stationary phase: The non-moving part of the chromatography setup.

The rate at which a component moves through the chromatography setup depends on how well it absorbs to the stationary phase and how soluble it is in the mobile phase.