Chromatography is a technique that is used to separate and to identify

components of a mixture. (Hapal, 2012). Paper chromatography, referred to as PC, is a

convenient method due to its lack of high expenses and its lack of harmful side effects on the

environment. Chromatography is one of the most important and widely used analytical practices

due to its ease of use and ability to be very accurate. This technology is versatile and can be

molded to fit many different experiments (Goldstein, 2011)

This a technique that we use to analyze mixtures solutes by exploiting differences in their

distribution between a stationary and a mobile phase. We need to know that this basic paper

chromatography is also a fundamental technique for the separation, detection, identification and

quantitation of chemical species. Chromatographic techniques can also be classified according to

whether they are being used for identification and measurement or as a purification step (Jumadi,

2018)

Figure 1 How to conduct the experiment (Retrieved November 3, 2019, from

https://www.scribd.com/document/395148962/LAB-REPORT-EXP5-3-doc.)
To separate a mixture of chemicals, a small amount of the mixture is first placed near the

edge of an absorbent paper. That same edge is wetted with solvent. The solvent travels up the paper

by capillary action, carrying the mixture with it. The various chemicals in the mixture travel

different distances. The distance a chemical travels is determined by its interaction with the solvent
(mobile phase) and with the hydroxyl groups attached to the paper. Substances that dissolve more

readily in the solvent will move farther than the substances that have a higher attraction for the

paper. When the solvent has moved the entire length of the paper, the paper is removed from the

solvent and dried. The different chemicals in the mixture will be located at different positions on

the chromatogram. At this point, we can calculate the Rf (ratio of fronts) factor for each substance.

For a particular substance the Rf factor is defined as

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠

𝑅𝑓 =
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠

Rf values vary from 0 (the substance is not attracted at all to the mobile phase) to 1 (the

substance is not attracted at all to the stationary phase).

Jumadi, M., Heirman, N., & Zulkarnain, N. (n.d.). LAB REPORT EXP5 (3).doc. Retrieved

November 3, 2019, from https://www.scribd.com/document/395148962/LAB-REPORT-EXP5-3-

doc.

Goldstein, S. (n.d.). Paper Chromatography Lab Report. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from

https://www.scribd.com/document/119811345/Paper-Chromatography-Lab-Report.

Hapal, M. (n.d.). Paper Chromatography. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from

https://www.academia.edu/5514446/Paper_Chromatography.