when the stationary phase (TLC plate) and the mobile phase (solvent) interact together, the Rf

values of the mobile phase with more percentage of acetone was larger. Because the mobile
phase is changed to a more polar solvent or mixture of solvents, it becomes better at binding to
the polar plate and therefore displacing solutes from it, so all compounds on the TLC plate will
move higher up the plate. When the mobile phase contained more hexane than acetone, the Rf
values were lower, proving that chlorophyll was polar and could not move up stationary phase
due to the nonpolar solvent, causing them to be absorbed in the stationary phase. In addition, a
polar solvent used as the mobile phase will be adsorbed by the stationary phase, which may
displace molecules of sample in the mixture and may cause the sample components to elute
vary quickly. This will provide little separation of the sample, so it is best to start elution with a
solvent of lower polarity to elute the components that are weakly adsorbed to the stationary
phase first. So that the reason the hexane: acetone 70:30 was the best solvent system to use to
separate the components in the spinach and carrot . Because the amount of nonpolar solvent
continually increased while the polar acetone solvent decreased, meaning that more nonpolar
solvent would be needed for carotene and chlorophyll (stationary phase) to move with the
mobile phase.