Paper chromatography
Chromatography jar
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| Acronym | PC |
|---|---|
| Classification | Chromatography |
| Other techniques | |
| Related | Thin layer chromatography |
Paper chromatography is an analytical method used to separate colored chemicals or substances. It is primarily used as a teaching tool, having been replaced by other chromatography methods, such as thin-layer chromatography. A paper chromatography variant, two-dimensional chromatography involves using two solvents and rotating the paper 90° in between. This is useful for separating complex mixtures of compounds having similar polarity, for example, amino acids. The setup has three components. The mobile phase is a solution that travels up the stationary phase, due to capillary action. The mobile phase is generally an alcohol solvent mixture, while the stationary phase is a strip of chromatography paper, also called a chromatogram.a chromatographic method is called adsorption chromatography if the stationary phase is solid
The retardation factor (Rƒ) may be defined as the ratio of the distance traveled by the substance to the distance traveled by the solvent. Rƒ values are usually expressed as a fraction of two decimal places. If Rƒ value of a solution is zero, the solute remains in the stationary phase and thus it is immobile. If Rƒ value = 1 then the solute has no affinity for the stationary phase and travels with the solvent front. To calculate the Rƒ value, take the distance traveled by the substance divided by the distance traveled by the solvent (as mentioned earlier in terms of ratios). For example, if a compound travels 9.9 cm and the solvent front travels 12.7 cm, (9.9/12.7) the Rƒ value = 0.779 or 0.78. Rƒ value depends on temperature and the solvent used in experiment, so several solvents offer several Rƒ values for the same mixture of compound. A solvent in chromatography is the liquid the paper is placed in, and the solute is the ink which is being separated.
Paper chromatography is one method for testing the of compounds and identifying substances. Paper chromatography is a useful technique because it is relatively quick and requires only small quantities of material. Separations in paper chromatography involve the same principles as those in thin layer chromatography, as it is a type of thin layer chromatography. In paper chromatography, substances are distributed between a stationary phase and a mobile phase. The stationary phase is the water trapped between the cellulose fibers of the paper. The mobile phase is a developing solution that travels up the stationary phase, carrying the samples with it. Components of the sample will separate readily according to how strongly they adsorb onto the stationary phase versus how readily they dissolve in the mobile phase.
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