Analysing Substances Flashcards
What does gas chromatography allow the separation of?
A mixture of compounds
What does the molecular ion peak tell you?
The relative molecular mass of a substance
What are the 2 advantages of a mass spectrometer?
Very quick and accurate
Detect very small quantities
What does the position of the peaks on the output tell you?
Retention time
What do the number of peaks on a gas chromatograph tell you?
Number of compounds present
Why do substances become separated in gas chromatography?
They travel through the column packed with solid material at different speeds
What’s the time taken for a substance to pass through the column used to help identify?
The substance
How can artificial food colours be identified?
Paper chromatography
Why are artificial methods of identification useful?
Fast
Sensitive
Accurate
Used for small amounts
