Chromatogram

Chromatography can separate these substances and produce a pattern called a chromatogram. The positions of the resulting spots can also provide evidence about the identities and purity of substances.

A paper chromatogram shows where the soluble substances in each sample ended up after a solvent moved through the paper. Each sample starts at a separate position on the baseline, so read the spots above that position as one lane. Under suitable conditions, a pure substance gives one spot; a mixture of substances that separate gives more than one.

The finished pattern is called a chromatogram.

The resulting pattern is a chromatogram. In paper chromatography, samples start as small spots on a pencil baseline. A solvent moves up the paper and carries the substances with it.