Although ratios are simple and attractive, they should be used with caution.
Ratios can lead to unexpected results.
Figure 8.3 shows an incomplete liquid chromatographic separation of five inorganic ions. The vertical axis represents detector signal, which is proportional to the concentration of the ions in the eluent. The horizontal axis represents the time after injection of the sample onto the chromatographic column. An incomplete liquid chromatographic separation of five inorganic ions. This seems reasonable.