C8: Paper Chromatography Flashcards
What is Paper chromatography?
Way of separating out a mixture into its components/different substances.
What are the two phases of chromatography?
Mobile: where the molecules can move - always a liquid or gas
Stationary: where the molecules can move - can be a solid or a really thick liquid (in Paper chromatography it’s the Paper)
What is the retention factor?
Used to compare the components of various samples. The RF values of suspect samples can be compared with known factors.
How is an equilibrium formed during chromatography?
The substances in the sample constantly move between the mobile and stationary phase.
Explain the process between the mobile and stationary phase.
The mobile phase moves through the stationary phase, and anything dissolved in the mobile phase moves with it.
How quickly a chemical moves depends on how it’s ‘distributed’ between the two phases - and heather it spends more time in the mobile.
Do the chemicals that spend more time in the mobile phase move further through the stationary phase?
Yes.
