Chromatography

• Method:

  1. Draw a line near the bottom of a sheet of filter paper in pencil.
  2. Add a spot of ink to the line and place the sheet in a beaker of solvent.
  3. Make sure the ink isn’t touching the solvent.
  4. Place a lid on top of the container to stop the solvent evaporating.
• Each different dye in the ink will move up the paper at a different rate, so the dyes will separate out.
• The end result is a pattern of spots called a chromatogram.
• The point the solvent has reached as it moves up the paper is the solvent front.
• Some compounds dissolve well in water but others may need a different solvent, like ethanol.
• If any of the dyes in the ink are insoluble in the solvent used, they’ll stay on the baseline.