  We consider the actions of protocols involving local quantum operations and
classical communication (LQCC) on a single system consisting of two separated
qubits. We give a complete description of the orbits of the space of states
under LQCC and characterise the representatives with maximal entanglement of
formation. We thus obtain a LQCC entanglement concentration protocol for a
single given state (pure or mixed) of two qubits which is optimal in the sense
that the protocol produces, with non-zero probability, a state of maximal
possible entanglement of formation. This defines a new entanglement measure,
the maximum extractable entanglement.
