Editing Size-exclusion chromatography (section)

== Discovery ==
The technique was invented in 1955 by Grant Henry Lathe and Colin R Ruthven, working at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lathe GH, Ruthven CR | title = The separation of substances on the basis of their molecular weights, using columns of starch and water | journal = The Biochemical Journal | volume = 60 | issue = 4 | pages = xxxiv | date = August 1955 | pmid = 13249976 | pmc = 1216175 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lathe GH, Ruthven CR | title = The separation of substances and estimation of their relative molecular sizes by the use of columns of starch in water | journal = The Biochemical Journal | volume = 62 | issue = 4 | pages = 665–74 | date = April 1956 | pmid = 13315231 | pmc = 1215979 | doi=10.1042/bj0620665}}</ref> They later received the John Scott Award for this invention.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/johnscottaward.html|title=The John Scott Award Recipients From 1822 - present|website=garfield.library.upenn.edu|access-date=3 Jan 2019}}</ref> While Lathe and Ruthven used starch gels as the matrix, [[Jerker Porath]] and [[Per Flodin]] later introduced dextran gels;<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Porath J, Flodin P | title = Gel filtration: a method for desalting and group separation | journal = Nature | volume = 183 | issue = 4676 | pages = 1657–9 | date = June 1959 | pmid = 13666849 | doi = 10.1038/1831657a0 | bibcode = 1959Natur.183.1657P | s2cid = 32287460 }}</ref> other gels with size fractionation properties include agarose and polyacrylamide. A short review of these developments has appeared.<ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Eisenstein M |date=2006|title=Adventures in the matrix|journal=[[Nature Methods]]|volume=3|issue=5|pages=410|doi=10.1038/nmeth0506-410|s2cid=37935968|issn=1548-7105|doi-access=free}}</ref>

There were also attempts to fractionate synthetic high polymers; however, it was not until 1964, when J. C. Moore of the [[Dow Chemical Company]] published his work on the preparation of [[gel permeation chromatography]] (GPC) columns based on cross-linked [[polystyrene]] with controlled pore size,<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Moore JC |date=1964|title=Gel permeation chromatography. I. A new method for molecular weight distribution of high polymers|journal=[[Journal of Polymer Science Part A|J Polym Sci A]]|volume=2|issue=2|pages=835–843|doi=10.1002/pol.1964.100020220|issn=1542-6246}}</ref> that a rapid increase of research activity in this field began. It was recognized almost immediately that with proper calibration, GPC was capable to provide molar mass and [[molar mass distribution]] information for synthetic polymers. Because the latter information was difficult to obtain by other methods, GPC came rapidly into extensive use.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Modern Size-Exclusion Liquid Chromatography: Practice of Gel Permeation and Gel Filtration Chromatography|last1=Striegel|first1=Andre|last2=Yau|first2=Wallace W.|last3=Kirkland|first3=Joseph J.|last4=Bly|first4=Donald D.|date=2009|publisher=Wiley|isbn=9780470442876|edition=2nd|location=Hoboken, N.J.|oclc=587401945|name-list-style=vanc}}</ref>