Correlated multi-dimensional chromatography with confirmatory hybrid run

A multidimensional chromatography system comprising:

• a) means fop separating components of a sample according to N independent separation procedures and a hybrid separation procedure, N being an integer greater than unity,
• said N separation procedures resulting in N independence concentrating distributions,
• said hybrid seperation procedure resulting in an actual hybrid concentration distribution,
• each of said hybrid and independent concentration distributions including a respective series of peaks at respective locations within the respective distribution;
• said hybrid separation procedure being selected so that an estimated hybrid peak location for a respective one of said sample components can be calculated from the locations of N independent peaks, each from a respective one of said N independent concentration distributions and each corresponding to said respective sample component, said estimated hybrid peak location being calculable according to a function that varies with each of said N independent peak locations;
• wherein said N independent separation procedures are characterized by N different selectivity characteristics, said N independent separation procedures including a first independent separation procedure characterized by a first selectivity characteristic and a second independent separation procedure characterized by a second selectivity characteristic, said second selectivity characteristic being different from said first selectivity characteristic and said hybrid separation procedure characterized by a hybrid selectivity characteristic, said hybrid selectivity characteristic being a combination of said N different selectivity characteristics;
• b) detector means for producing respective chromatograms of said concentration distributions for each of said independent and hybrid separation procedures;
• c) means for proposing an assignment of N peaks from respective ones of said N independent concentration distributions to said sample component;
• d) means for calculating the estimated location of a confirming peak along said hybrid concentration distribution;
• and
• e) means for examining said hybrid concentration distribution for the presence of a confirming peak at said expected location and for disconfirming said proposed assignment of N peaks in the absence of a confirming peak.