Question

How does solubility affect chromatography?

Answer 1

We need to know the process of chromatography and learn about the factors affecting it. One factor we are to focus on is solubility. Chromatography is a laboratory technique used for the separation of a mixture by passing it through a medium where the components of the mixture move at different rates and hence get separated. This is the basic principle of chromatography which is that different components of the given mixture move at different rates and hence get separated.

Complete step by step answer:
We know that chromatography is a technique to separate components of a mixture based on their mobility rates. The mixture whose components are to be separated is called the mobile phase and the medium in which the components move is called the stationary phase.
The main factor which influences the chromatography technique is the speed of the various constituents of the mixture. This speed depends on how much time the constituents spent time in the solvent. If they are attracted to the stationary phase, they move out slowly. If they are highly soluble in the mobile phase, they will move out faster. These two factors can be summed as follows:
Higher the attraction towards the stationary phase, slower will be the movement of the desired particles. This phenomenon is called adsorption.
Higher the solubility of the constituents in the mobile phase, faster will be the mobility rate.
Hence, the solubility of the components of the mixture affects the process of chromatography as higher the solubility in the mobile phase, faster the components will elute out of the chromatography stationary phase.

Note:
It must be noted that we cannot truly say that solubility directly affects the chromatographic technique of separation. It is basically the intermolecular forces of attraction between the constituent particles and the mobile phase and the stationary phase. The polarity of the particles reflects the affinity towards the stationary and the mobile phase. In addition, the type of chromatography technique employed also affects the solubility and the mobility rate.