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PAPER-CHROMOTOGRAPHY

Paper chromatography is an analytical method used to separate colored chemicals, primarily for educational purposes. The procedure involves applying ink to chromatography paper, allowing different dyes to travel at varying speeds when placed in water, thus identifying whether the inks are pure substances or mixtures. The document includes objectives, materials needed, a detailed procedure, and a conclusion explaining the elution process and its applications.

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Delos Reyes Marene
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9 views4 pages

PAPER-CHROMOTOGRAPHY

Paper chromatography is an analytical method used to separate colored chemicals, primarily for educational purposes. The procedure involves applying ink to chromatography paper, allowing different dyes to travel at varying speeds when placed in water, thus identifying whether the inks are pure substances or mixtures. The document includes objectives, materials needed, a detailed procedure, and a conclusion explaining the elution process and its applications.

Uploaded by

Delos Reyes Marene
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PAPER

CHROMOTOGRAPHY
Paper chromatography is an analytical method used to separate coloured chemicals or substances.
It is now primarily used as a teaching tool, having been replaced in the laboratory by other
chromatography methods such as thin-layer chromatography.

OBJECTIVES
To use paper chromatography to identify whether certain colored inks are
pure substances or mixtures.

MATERIALS
 Colored pens  paper chromatography/ coffee filter paper
 Cup or a beaker  water
 Stick or ruler  face mask
 pencil  lab gown

PROCEDURE
1. Wash your hands thoroughly to remove excess oils from your skin.
2. Handle the coffee filter paper only on the edges to avoid leaving fingerprints, as these may
hinder the elution process.
3. Place the chromatography paper on a sheet of clean notebook paper or paper towel to avoid
picking up dirt or contaminants from the bench top. Orient the paper into a “portrait” position.
4. Using a pencil and ruler to measure accurately, draw a straight line across the paper, about
1cm- 1.5 cm above the bottom edge. This is the starting line. On the starting line, measure in
from one side about draw a
5. four small “X” in the line.
6. In the center of each X, make a small spot of ink color; red, blue, yellow and green.
7. Take a cup or a beaker and pour a small amount of water.
8. Gently place the coffee filter paper into the cup/beaker and wrap the top of it in a stick.
Remember that the spots must be above the liquid level for the experiment to work. Watch the
eluent creep up the paper until it begins to move some of the ink. It will take about 5- 10
minutes for the solvent front to reach the top of the paper.
9. When the solvent front reaches the finish line, remove the paper from the beaker, being careful
to touch only the top. Let excess eluent drip into the beaker. Leave the paper where it will dry
completely.
10. Wait about 10- 15 minutes before it dry.
11. Answer now your worksheet.
CONCLUSION
When the filter paper containing the ink spots is placed in the solvent ( in this case, water ), the dyes
travel through the paper. Different dyes in ink travel through the chromatography filter paper at
different speeds. The most soluble colours dissolve and travel further and faster than less soluble dyes,
which stick to the paper more. By eye, we cannot know if each ink color is a mixture or pure substance.
Using chromatography, the components in a sample will migrate along the filter paper at different rates
such that they become spread out and separated from each other. The mobile phase takes advantage of
differing solubility or polarity of the components in order to separate them. This component traveling
process is called elution. Chromatography can be used to separate inks, dyes, pigments in plants, or used
to determine the chemical composition of many substances.

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Name:_____________________ Year & Section:________
Date:_____________ Score:___________

WORKSHEET #1: Paper Chromotography

Paper chromatography is an analytical method used to separate coloured chemicals or substances.


It is now primarily used as a teaching tool, having been replaced in the laboratory by other
chromatography methods such as thin-layer chromatography.

*Attached your paper chromatography paper here:

GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. This lab employs chromatography to separate the components in ink. What other
applications can we use chromatography for?

2. What did you observe in this experiment?

3. According to the experiment, which color travelled faster?

4. Why is it necessary to use a pencil to mark the lines and X’s on the paper? Explain your
answer.

5. Record ink colors in the appropriate column; for mixtures, list the colors of the
components.
Mixture/ Components Color Single-Component Color

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