Three-way methods for the analysis of hyphenated chromatographic data

Hyphenated chromatographic instruments, coupling the elution dimension with a multivariate detection method (usually a spectroscopic device) provide so-called second order data, i.e. each analyzed sample is described by a signal that takes the form of a 2-dimensional landscape. When more than one sample is analyzed, the data-set becomes what is defined as a three-way array (or a data cube). In this communication, the main chemometric techniques used to deal with three-way data will be presented, focusing on their application to the solution of chromatographic problems.