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Abstract Fast and efficient chromatography can result from the practice of chromatography with a mobile‐phase system that has the solvent strength of a liquid but the density near that of a gas. This approach to supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is achieved by utilizing a static or dynamic mobile‐phase system that is a combination of two or more fluids, one of which is a low‐viscosity fluid such as carbon dioxide. These ‘enhanced’ fluids are realized for chromatographic applications by applying the appropriate engineering controls. There are few limitations on the combination of mobile phase, stationary phase, and analyte chemistries as long as the mobile phase is maintained as a single fluid. Liquefied carbon dioxide can be exploited as either a thermodynamic or a kinetic variable when utilized as a mobile‐phase solvent. These subcritical fluids can attain a modest pH and polarity range in order to achieve a wide range of separation mechanisms. Ternary solvent systems consisting of carbon dioxide, alcohol, and water in combination with a polar stationary phase can result in novel chromatographic applications. Significant advances in the engineering of the hardware and software must be made in order for SFC to reach its full potential.