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Why Chromatography Is Important

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Why Chromatography Is Important
Have you ever wondered what colored dyes go into your favorite candies? Chromatography can solve that for you. Chromatography is a separation technique used by scientists for separating both organic and inorganic compounds. There are four different types of chromatography: thin layer, liquid, gas, and paper, but for this lab paper chromatography will be used. Who invented chromatography? A Russian botanist named Mikhail Semyonovich Tsvet invented chromatography in 1901 while doing research on plant pigments. Why is chromatography so important? This is because over 60% of all chemical analysis is done with one of the four types of chromatography. Police also use it to test cocaine in urine, alcohol in blood, and lead in water. Other uses for chromatography include to determine the colors leaves will turn into and unknown substances at the scene of a crime. One such use of chromatography is to …show more content…
One such measurement is RF factor. The RF factor is how far a particular compound travels in a particular solvent. In this lab, it is how fare the dyes travel in saltwater. If the RF factors are similar to the RF factors of the control (food coloring) then they are most likely the same dye. On the website the four types of chromatography are also specified with possible uses. Liquid chromatography can be used to look for pollution in lakes (Science Olympiad). It is also used to test metal ions which react strongly with water. Gas chromatography can be used to test to see if there are bombs at an airport or to test blood at a crime scene (Science Olympiad). Thin-layer chromatography is used to test the purity of an organic compounds or the dye composition of fibers (Science Olympiad). Finally, paper chromatography, utilized in this lab, is the most common form of chromatography and can be used for all of these tasks. However, it is cheaper and less reliable than the other
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