How the GCDG became ChromSoc.
In 1956 the emergence of Gas Chromatography (GC) as a useful technique for the petroleum industry created a nucleus of scientists with a common interest, and the society was first established as the Gas Chromatography Discussion Group (GCDG), with Anthony T. James as the chair and Denis H. Desty as the secretary.
Dr James developed the technique of gas-liquid partition chromatography; his major contributions to chromatography are the development of radioactive scanners and new detectors for gas and liquid chromatography and the demonstration of the application of GC in biochemistry, particularly in the analysis of lipids.
Mr Desty has been particularly associated with the emergence of capillary columns as a practical tool in gas-liquid chromatography with their outstanding performance of high column separation efficiencies and very rapid separation, he pioneered the use of automatic integrators to obtain reproducible precise quantitative results and initiated the beginning of process of gas chromatographic monitors for use in refinery operations. As the various methods of chromatography were discovered and developed the GCDG matured into The Chromatographic Society.
