The mathematical basis and interpretation of the results of several mu
ltivariate techniques for the determination of the number of compounds
present in an evolving multicomponent system are presented. All the t
echniques described are applicable to bilinear data matrices obtained
from evolutionary processes, i.e., the concentration of each compound
evolves with an ordered variable such as time or pH. Their performance
for the detection of a minor compound in the presence of a main one i
s discussed. The application to systems with more than 2 compounds and
the effect of smoothing are also considered.