Ion exchange chromatography Principle: Ion exchange chromatography is a technique for separating and purifying the compounds in the mixture based on their net charge. Ion exchange chromatography resin contains negatively or positively charged functional groups covalently bound to a solid support, yielding either a cation or anion exchanger, respectively. Charged compounds are adsorbed and retained by an ion exchanger having the opposite charge, whereas compounds that are neutral or have the same charge as the media pass through the void volume and are eluted from the column. The binding of the charged compounds is reversible, and adsorbed compounds are commonly eluted with a salt or pH gradient. Ion exchange media are available in various particle sizes, ionic forms, and purity ranges. Ion exchange chromatography is used both for preparative and analytical purposes and can separate a large range of molecules from amino acids and nucleotides to large prote...