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SBA # YY MM DD

2 19 08 22
Ridhi Parwani
Title: Paper Chromatography

Aim: To separate a mixture of dyes using paper chromatography

Material/Apparatus:
1. Pencil
2. Ruler
3. Filter paper
4. Pin
5. Dye
6. Water
7. Boiling tube
8. Glass rod
9. Tape
10. Stopwatch on phone

Procedure:
1. With the aid of a ruler, 1cm was measured from the bottom of the strip of
filter paper and was marked with the aid of a pencil as the origin.
2. A pin was used to make three spots on the centre of the line of origin, every
30 seconds, so the spot was concentrated.
3. Into a boiling tube, water was poured up to a height of approximately 2cm.
4. the filter paper containing dye was placed in the boiling tube, ensuring that
the spot wasn’t immersed into the solvent.
5. The boiling tube was left to stand in a test tube rack until the solvent was
separated from the components of the dye and till there was a well-defined
solvent front.
6. The chromatogram was removed from the boiling tube.

Drawing:

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SBA # YY MM DD

2 19 08 22
Ridhi Parwani

Chromatography Paper Before and After the Experiment

Observations/Results:
It was observed that when a colored sample is placed on a filter paper, the colors
separate from the sample by placing the paper in a low-leveled solvent. The
solvent diffuses up to the filter paper, dissolving the various molecules in the
sample according to the polarities of the molecules and the solvent. If the sample
contains more than one color, it means that it has more than one kind of molecule.

Observation Chart of distance traveled by each color and its retention factor

Color Distance travelled Retention factor

Pink 8.6 0.7

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SBA # YY MM DD

2 19 08 22
Ridhi Parwani
Orange 2.7 0.2
Green 0.4 0.03

Blue 3.9 0.3

Analysis:
The technique of paper chromatography was used in this experiment. Basically
paper chromatography is a method used to separate colored chemicals. Water was
used in this experiment, the reason being that the dye is water-soluble.Solvent
front is the wet moving edge of the solvent that progresses along the surface of the
paper, whereas the point where the dye is applied at the beginning of the
experiment is known as the point of origin. The dye separates because its
components travel up the paper at different rates, which is based on two factors
known as their attraction to the paper and the solubility in the solvent. The colors
that identified were pink, orange, green and blue, and the furthest moving color
was pink.

Conclusion:
It can be concluded that colors does not rise up to stationary phase when you use
distilled water. This experiment discussed about paper chromatography and how it
separates colors chemically. The distance and retention factor of the colors was
measured and calculated.

Limitations/Precaution/sources of error:
If the paper is tilted, the solvent front will be uneven due to which calculating the
correct Rf value will be almost impossible. A similar problem arises when the
paper is cut unevenly.
Use good quality pencil for drawing the reference line so that the mark does not
dissolve in the solvent in which the chromatography is carried out. Keep the jar
undisturbed and covered during the experiment. The spot should be small and rich
in mixture.
The main source of error was not making each dot of solution, on the paper, dense
enough before allowing the dots to diffuse across the paper. When applying the
ions, if too much is used, it could lead to bleeding through in the paper.

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SKILLS ASSESSED M/M ORR A/I P/D
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SBA # YY MM DD

2 19 08 22
Ridhi Parwani

Reflection:
In the process of this experiment, I learnt the method of separating colors using a
piece of paper and water. If we used ethanol instead of water and other types of
coloring, we would have explored paper chromatography which industries use.

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