Question

1. What is chromatography?
2. Why is it named so?
3. What are the advantages of chromatography?
4. Name the simplest type of chromatography?
5. On what principle is this method based?
6. What is meant by stationary phase and mobile phase in chromatography?

Answer 1

1. The process of separating different dissolved constituents of a mixture by their absorption on an appropriate material is called $chromatography$.

2. It is named so, because earlier it was used to separate mixtures containing coloured components only but these days this technique is applied to colourless substances too.

3. $\underset{–}{Advantagesofchromatography:}$
(i) A very small quantity of the substance can be separated.
(ii) Components with very similar physical and chemical properties can be separated.
(iii) It identifies the different constituents of a mixture.

(iv) It also helps in quantitative estimation of components of a mixture.

4. The simplest type of chromatography is $"Paperchromatography".$

5. Chromotography is based on differential affinities of compounds towards two phases i.e. $stationary$ and $mobilephase$.

6. The filter paper acts as "stationary phase" while the solvent act as "mobile phase".