Supercritical fluids in separation science--the dreams, the reality and the future.

The last 20 years have seen an intense interest in the use of supercritical fluids in separation science. This started with the introduction of commercial instruments first for packed and then for capillary chromatography and it looked as if this would be a technique to rival gas-liquid chromatography and HPLC. The activity developed quite rapidly into packed column supercritical fluid separations then into supercritical fluid extraction. However, in recent years there has been a decline in publications. These later techniques continue to be used but are now principally applied to a limited group of applications where they offer significant advantages over alternative techniques. This review looks back over this period and analyses how these methods were developed and the fluids, detectors and applications that were examined. It suggests why many of the initial applications have vanished and why the initial apparent promise was not fulfilled. The rise and fall of supercritical fluids represents a lesson in the way analysts approach new techniques and how we might view other new separation developments at the end of this millennium. The review looks forward to the future of supercritical fluids and their role at the end of the first century of separation science. Probably the most important idea that supercritical fluids have brought to separation science is a recognition that there is unity in the separation methods and that a continuum exists from gases to liquids.