Question:
A child wanted to separate the mixture of dyes constituting a sample of ink. He marked a line by the ink on the filter paper and placed the filter paper in a glass containing water as shown in the fig. The filter paper was removed when the water moved near the top of the filter paper.
1. What would you expect to see, if the ink contains three different coloured components ?
2. Name the technique used by the child.
3. Suggest one more application of this technique
Solution:
1. Three different bands will be seen on the filter papers.
2. The technique is known as paper chromatography.
3. It can be used to separate the coloured pigments from chlorophyll.