It is widely known that asphalts yielding similar re:;ults in standard tests like penetration may in fact exhibit significantly difEerent performance with respect to product manufacturing, application, or durability.Thus, a need exists for more definitive testing, especially with respect to defining the chemical composition of asphalt. Direct spectroscopic analysis of asphalt is diEEicult because of its compositional complexity, high degree of association between compounds present, and high. overall average molecular weight/boiling range.Hence, prior liquid chromatographic separation into compound classes or types can greatly enhance the level of information obtainable from spectroscopic methods, as well as provide information on types and quantities of compounds present. The scheme discussed involves initial separation into acid, base, and neutral types using Downloaded by [The University Of Melbourne Libraries] at 09:16 11 October 2014 1328 GREEN, REYNOLDS AND YUnonaqueous ion exchange chromatography, followed by subfractionation of each type into more discrete compound class fractions using a variety of normal phase high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods.Material recoveries on residual materials typically range from 95-105 weight percent. Details of the scheme, example applications, and results from analysis of fractions are discussed.