Chromatography Overview

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What is chromatography?

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Chromatography is a technique used to separate mixtures into their compounds, purify compounds, and test the purity of the compounds.

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What does the word chromatography mean?

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The word chromatography is derived from the Greek word 'chroma', meaning colour, as it was first used for separating coloured substances in plants.

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What are the two phases involved in chromatography?

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The two phases are the stationary phase (solid or liquid) and the mobile phase (pure solvent, mixture of solvents, or gas).

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What is adsorption chromatography?

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Adsorption chromatography is based on the adhesion of particles from a gas, liquid, or dissolved solid to a surface, where different compounds are adsorbed to different degrees.

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What are common adsorbents used in adsorption chromatography?

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Commonly used adsorbents are silica gel and alumina.

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What are the two types of chromatography based on differential adsorption?

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The two types are Column chromatography and Thin layer chromatography.

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What is column chromatography?

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Column chromatography involves the separation of a mixture over a column of adsorbent packed in a glass tube.

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How does column chromatography work?

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The mixture adsorbed on the adsorbent is placed on top of the column, and a liquid is poured in, allowing components to separate based on their degree of adsorption.

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What is thin layer chromatography (TLC)?

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Thin layer chromatography involves the separation of substances over a thin layer of an adsorbent coated on a glass plate.

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What is a chromaplate?

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A chromaplate is a glass plate coated with a thin layer (about 0.2mm thick) of an adsorbent like silica gel or alumina.