The Importance Of Chromatography

The method when components separate by distribution between two phases is known as chromatography. One phase is typically a porous substance or stationary while the other one is fluid and will flow through the stationary phase. The components diffuse along the stationary phase in a general direction where the mobile phase is progressing. The rate of flow for the separate components is independent of the other samples on the paper, mostly dependent on the polarity of the mobile phase1. Chromatography is important because it is a widely used technique and one of the most powerful in chemical analysis. This process can be extremely sensitive to detect the miniature changes in samples and is developing to have a more universal usage. The overall

A developing chamber is put over the plate with the components on the material to prevent loss of any mobile phase. In order to visualize the samples, it is common to examine the plate under an ultraviolet light because the samples can be colorless and this will show the observer if the sample is pure or if components still exist. The UV light is known to work well for compounds that may show similar color diffusion paths, so the UV identifies more concise light spots where components are

As mentioned in the introduction, the Rf values measure of how far each component traveled from the starting point to the center of the ink after diffusion. A ruler is required to measure the distance the component migrated versus the distance the furthest solvent traveled from the starting line. If a more in depth explanation is required, the Chemtrek shows visuals of what the chromatography paper and exactly how to locate the Rf points, which is the second source in the references section.

Five samples are run using paper chromatography and five different mobile phases to test which one would have the greatest effect on separation of components. The mobile phases used are 3:1 propanol, 3:1 ethanol, 3:1 methanol, 2:1 methanol and 1:1 propanol. Each mixture has the larger ratio of water. The one that demonstrates the clearest separation of ink samples compared to the original will be used for the identifications of the unknowns. Once this is identified, that mobile phase will be used on the unknown chromatography paper. The pen inks that are unknown are