Chromatography

In paper chromatography, put a small spot of the mixture on a pencil starting line near the bottom of chromatography paper. Stand the paper in a suitable solvent with the starting line above the solvent level. As the solvent rises through the paper, it carries the dissolved substances.

Chromatography separates a mixture of soluble substances. A tiny sample is placed near one end of a supporting material and a solvent moves through that material. The substances in the sample may travel different distances, so the original spot can separate into several spots or bands.

Chromatography helps chemists separate the substances in a mixture, such as the different dyes in an ink. It uses two phases: a stationary phase that stays in place and a mobile phase that moves through it. In a simple paper chromatography experiment, the paper acts as the stationary phase and a solvent, such as water, is the mobile phase.