Why is a solvent mixture used in thin layer chromatography?
I think it has to do with the solvent mixture being composed of a polar and nonpolar component, but I'm not entirely sure. Thank you!
I think it has to do with the solvent mixture being composed of a polar and nonpolar component, but I'm not entirely sure. Thank you!
1 Answer
Well, possibly because this is the solvent mix that works to effect separation....
Explanation:
Chromatography is a bit of a black box. The chemist must find the conditions that work; and clearly this varies from experiment to experiment. A powerful solvent will sweep all the solute down the column or up the plate indiscriminately. On the other hand, addition of less polar solvent, such as hexanes, might make the solvent less potent, and the mixture able to effect reasonable separation.
The point is that the chemist SELECTS a mixture peculiar to and appropriate for a particular experiment. And if you got a new compound (which organic chemists routinely isolate), you got a new experiment, a new chromatographic experiment to perform and optimize.
