23.1 What is Paper Chromatography?
Description
This article is from the Chemistry FAQ, by Bruce Hamilton B.Hamilton@irl.cri.nz with numerous contributions by others.
23.1 What is Paper Chromatography?
Paper chromatography was the first analytical chromatographic technique
developed, allegedly using papyrus (Pliny). It was first published by Runge
in 1855, and consists of a solvent moving along filter or blotting paper.
The interaction between the components of the sample, the solvent, and the
paper, results in separation of the components. Most modern paper
chromatography is partition chromatography, where the cellulose of the
paper is the inert support, and the water adsorbed ( hydrogen bonded ) from
air onto the hydroxyl groups of the cellulose becomes the stationary phase.
If the mobile phase is not saturated with water, then some of the stationary
phase water may be removed from the cellulose - resulting in a separation
that is a mixture of partition and adsorption. Paper chromatography remains
the method of choice for a wide range of coloured compounds, and is used
extensively in both natural and artificial pigment research. The technique
is suitable for any molecules that are significantly less volatile than the
solvent, and many examples and references are provided in Heftmann [1].
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