Abstract

The purpose of this experiment is to separate a mixture of alum ferric and copper
sulphate using column (elution) chromatography. The slurry of alumina or silica was
used as stationary phase in the column chromatography, while the mixture solution
that is to be separated was the mobile phase. The mixture was let to elute until colours
of bands shows up.From this experiment, the alum ferric and the copper sulphate had
successfully separated by column chromatography.

Objectives

To separate a mixture of Alum Ferric and Copper Sulphate using Column (elution)
Chromatography

Introduction

In this experiment, a mixture of alum ferric and copper sulphate was separated by
elution chromatography. Elution chromatography is a technique used to separate
components of a mixture by washing down the solutes through a column by additions
of fresh solvent. The mixture dissolves in a mobile phase, is added at the column head.
The solutes in the mixture distribute themselves between the mobile phase and the
stationary phase.Further partition of the solutes occurs as more eluent is poured down
the column.

Solute is carried down the column by the mobile phase. Thus if the solute is more
soluble in the mobile phase then it will spend more time in the mobile phase. The
migration is therefore high for this solute. Conversely if the solute is more strongly
retained by the stationary phase then the migration rate is small. These differences in
rates separate the components in the mixture into bands or zones in the column. The
separated bands can be isolated and further analysed by collecting the individual band
as it passes out of the column.

Column chromatography is one of the most useful techniques for purifying

compounds. This technique utilizes a stationary phase, which is packed in a column,
and a mobile phase that passes through the column. This technique exploits the
differences in polarity between compounds, allowing the molecules to be facilely
separated.1 The two most common stationary phases for column chromatography are
silica gel (SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3), with the most commonly used mobile phases
being organic solvents.2 The solvent(s) chosen for the mobile phase are dependent on
the polarity of the molecules being purified. Typically more polar compounds require
more polar solvents in order to facilitate the passage of the molecules through the
stationary phase. Once the purification process has been completed the solvent can be
removed from the collected fractions using a rotary evaporator to yield the isolated
material.

Procedure

The slurry of alumina or silica was prepared by mixing the packing material with
water. It was started by weighing about 30g of the packing material. Then, water is
added to slightly above the level of the powder. The mixture is mixed well. Then the
slurry was poured slowly into a column 2-3 cm at a time. The column is packed
properly by knocking the end of the column onto a soft padding (cloth,book,etc) at the
bench. The column was prepared until it is packed to about 15 cm in length of
alumina or silica. The column was clamped onto a retort stand. Filter paper was cut to
fit into the mouth of the column. Carefully, the filter paper was lowered down to rest
above the packing material.A beaker was placed underneath the column and the
stopcock was opened to collect the water from the column. The column was never let
to dry. The water is always made sure to be about 2 cm above the level of alumina or
silica. 2 cm3 of the given mixture was added into the column. The components were
eluted with distilled water until separation of the mixture occurs.