Which option describes chromatography?

Which option describes chromatography?

• A. A method to weigh solids
• B. A way to measure pH
• C. Separating molecules in some kind of buffer or solvent through a solid phase
• D. A method to distill solvents

Answer: (C)

Chromatography is a separation technique that relies on how different molecules interact with a solid phase (the stationary phase) versus a moving liquid or gas (the mobile phase). As the mixture travels with the solvent, each component moves at its own rate depending on its affinity for the solid and its solubility in the solvent, which lets the substances separate along the solid support or within the stream. The option that describes separating molecules in some kind of buffer or solvent through a solid phase captures this essential idea: you’re using a solid material and a solvent to separate the mixture. We can contrast the others briefly: weighing solids is about measuring mass, not separating components; measuring pH is about acidity or basicity of a solution, not separating mixtures; distillation uses differences in boiling points to separate liquids, which is a different technique that relies on vaporization and condensation rather than differential interaction with a solid phase in a solvent.

Chromatography is a separation technique that relies on how different molecules interact with a solid phase (the stationary phase) versus a moving liquid or gas (the mobile phase). As the mixture travels with the solvent, each component moves at its own rate depending on its affinity for the solid and its solubility in the solvent, which lets the substances separate along the solid support or within the stream. The option that describes separating molecules in some kind of buffer or solvent through a solid phase captures this essential idea: you’re using a solid material and a solvent to separate the mixture.

We can contrast the others briefly: weighing solids is about measuring mass, not separating components; measuring pH is about acidity or basicity of a solution, not separating mixtures; distillation uses differences in boiling points to separate liquids, which is a different technique that relies on vaporization and condensation rather than differential interaction with a solid phase in a solvent.