Philippine Christian University

Sampaloc 1, Dasmariñas City, Cavite 4114

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
S.Y. 2021 – 2022
GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1
FIRST QUARTER (WEEK 1)
NAME: ANDRIE B. DATUL DATE: SEPTEMBER / 12 – 16 / 2022
SECTION: STEM 12 L - CANA SCORE: / 100

MODULE 1: ACTIVITY NO.2

PERFORMANCE TASK 1

LABORATORY
Paper Chromatography

I. INTRODUCTION

Chromatography is a general technique employed to separate the components of a mixture based on

their relative solubilities in two materials or phases that are set up to move past each other in essentially
opposite directions. One type of this technique is paper chromatography by which a homogeneous mixture is
made to travel through the material of a paper by capillary action. Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to
naturally ascend through a narrow tube. A suitable solvent serves as the mobile phase that carries the mixture
along the paper, which is the stationary phase. The solubility of the mixture components between the mobile
and stationary phases influences the degree of the separation of the components. The two phases are usually
chosen so that they have opposite relative polarities (that is, polar and nonpolar). The components of the
mixture that have similar polarity with the mobile phase travel with it during the process, while those with
similar polarity as the material of the paper are not carried as much. When the mixture components separate,
colored bands or spots form on the paper.

II. OBJECTIVES

1. To describe how paper chromatography works

2. To identify which liquid will best separate the components of the markers

III. MATERIALS

3 binder clips vinegar

3 beakers or clear wide – mouthed glasses rubbing alcohol
1 black whiteboard pen water
3 sticks or new pencils (should be long enough) filter papers or tissue
 IV. OBSERVATION
OBSERVATION ON CHROMATOGRAPHY USING THE FOLLOWING SOLVENTS
WATER
Water rapidly smudges the ink and
moves through the filter paper
more quickly than the other
solvent, but it only reveals one
color of the ink.
ALCOHOL
In contrast to water, alcohol
smudges the ink halfway to the
filter paper and moves
considerably more slowly than
water but more quickly than
vinegar. Additionally, at the near
end of the filter paper, it exhibits a
yellow color, which I believe is the
oil contained in the ink.
VINEGAR
Contrary to other solvents, vinegar
moves much more slowly than the
others, even when given the same
amount of time (20 minutes).
Additionally, vinegar smudges
differ more from the others in that
they become thinner as they move
up the paper, whereas the others
become wider. Additionally,
vinegar's smudges did not reveal
any additional colors other than the
black from the ink.
V. QUESTIONS AND ANALYSIS

1. What happened to the ink in each solvent?

With the aid of the solvent's capillary action, the ink smudges upward, just as it did when alcohol was
used to create a chromatography to separate some of the ink's components. However, unlike alcohol,
water and vinegar only smudge the ink upward.

2. Which solvent separated the components of the pen successfully?

According to my observations, alcohol successfully separated the components of the pen. This is
because, unlike the other solvents, only alcohol shows other colors than black on the filter paper

3. What is the independent variable in the experiment? The dependent variable?

The independent variable in the experiment is the different solvents such as the water, vinegar, and
alcohol, while the dependent variable is the ink itself.

4. What made the separation of the components of the ink possible?

The capillary action of the solvents moving upward through the filter paper allowed for the separation
of the ink.

5. How will you describe chromatography based on the experiment?

Based on the results of the experiment, chromatography separates the components of the ink and
estimates how quickly a solvent moves through filter paper.

VI. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, chromatography separates the components of the ink or other mixture, as we can see in
the chromatography using alcohol as the solvent, as alcohol shows other colors than black on the filter
paper, which is the color yellow, and as I believe it is the oil included in the sign pen used, I can also
conclude that the different solvents travel differently with the same amount of time and size of the filter
paper. Water travels faster than alcohol and vinegar, but not faster than water, and vinegar travels
much slower than the other solvents.