Paper Chromatography Lab

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Introduction: Chromatography is mainly a tool for the examination and separation of mixtures of chemical substances. Chromatography is using a flow of solvent to cause the components of a mixture to migrate differently from a starting point in a specific medium. The purpose of this lab is to find that what influences the separation of food dyes by using paper chromatography, which is often used as a simple technique to separate or to analyze complex mixtures. In paper chromatography, the absorbent is the paper itself, while the eluent can be any number of solvents. When the paper is placed in a chromatography chamber, the eluent moves up the strip. Those different dyes are all organic molecules, structures of which depend on the color and ingredient. They will separate because water carries them in different rates. Procedure:…show more content…
Measure 9.5 mm from the edge and place a dot on the line. Also measure 20 mm from the top of the strip and fold across the width of the strip. Repeat the process for a second paper strip. Then, using a clean toothpick, spot the chromatography strip by placing a toothpick into the dye mixture solution and then toughing the tip of the toothpick gently onto the designated pencil dot. Allow the sample to dry. Pour 20 mL of the assigned 2% chromatography solvent into each flask and cover the flasks with the watch glasses. Once the chromatography paper is dry, remove the watch glass from the top of the flask. Finally, hang the chromatography strip into the flask with the sample end down. Allow the chromatogram to develop and record observations of the dye sample as the solvent travels up the paper and the chromatogram

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