What distinguishes ion chromatography from traditional chromatography?

Ion chromatography is specifically designed to separate ions and polar molecules by exploiting their charge characteristics. This technique uses an ion exchange mechanism where the stationary phase is often a resin containing charged functional groups. When a sample containing ions is introduced, the ions interact with these charged sites on the resin, allowing for separation based on their charge, size, and affinity for the stationary phase.

This is fundamentally different from traditional chromatography methods, which may focus on non-ionic interactions such as hydrophobic or polar interactions in reversed-phase or normal-phase chromatography. By being tailored to ionic species, ion chromatography serves as a powerful tool for analyzing water quality, pharmaceuticals, and various inorganic and organic ions in different matrices.

The other options presented do not accurately capture the essence of ion chromatography. For instance, ion chromatography is not targeted towards non-polar compounds, operates typically at ambient temperatures rather than higher temperatures, and it does not utilize gas as a mobile phase, as it primarily employs liquid phases for the separation of ions.