Adsorption Chromatography: Overview, Principle, Procedure, Types

Adsorption chromatography is known as the oldest type of chromatography technique which is used to make a mobile phase, it is either in liquid or gaseous form and the mobile phase is adsorbed onto the surface of the stationary solid phase.

Adsorption Chromatography Principle

Adsorption Chromatography Principle is involved in the analytical separation of a chemical mixture which is based on the interaction of the adsorbate and with the adsorbent when it will passe over the adsorbent bed that will adsorb different compounds at different rates then that mixture of gas or liquid gets separated.

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This Story also Contains

1. Adsorption Chromatography Principle
2. Adsorption Chromatography Procedure
3. Apparatus Required
4. Adsorption Chromatography Applications
5. Types of Adsorption Chromatography:

Adsorbent means a substance that is porous with a high surface area to adsorb substances on its surface by the force of intermolecular forces. Some most commonly used adsorbents are Silica gel H, silica gel G, silica gel S, hydrated gel silica, cellulose microcrystalline, alumina, and so on.

Adsorption Chromatography Procedure

Before starting the procedure of absorption chromatography firstly, let us understand the two types of phases and then the types of forces which is involved during the mixture separation process, they are -

• Stationary phase – The adsorbent is the stationary phase in adsorption chromatography and the force which is involved to help to remove solutes from the adsorbent so that the solutes can move with the mobile phase and this phase is called the Stationary phase.

• Mobile phase – In the mobile phase either a liquid or a gas is used as in this phase. Adsorption chromatography and the forces are involved to help to remove the solutes from the adsorbent so that the solutes can move with the mobile phase. When a liquid is used as a mobile phase, it is known as LSC which stands for Liquid-Solid Chromatography and on the other hand when a gas is used as a mobile phase it is known as GSC stands for Gas-Solid Chromatography.

Apparatus Required

1. Chromatography jar – It is a glass jar which has a lid and it helps to maintain a proper environment during the separation, which is most important.

2. Thin-layer plate – It is a borosilicate glass plate.

3. Capillary tube – In this, the sample mixture is always applied to TLC with the help of this capillary tube.

4. Mobile phase – It can be in Liquid or gas

5. Stationary phase – It is in the adsorbents phase

Adsorption Chromatography Experiment (TLC)

• The first step is to take a neat chromatographic jar and dry it.

• The second step is to make sure that the environment in the jar is saturated; if it is not then saturate it with solvent vapours and that paper which is soaked in the mobile phase is to be applied to the walls.

• Now, the third step is to add the mobile phase to the jar and then close it.

• Maintaining equilibrium is the most necessary step to do.

• Then mark the baseline on the adsorbent.

• And then apply a sample to the TLC plate with the help of a capillary tube and then allow it to dry.

• When it becomes dry then put the plates into the jar and then close it and wait until the solvent moves from the baseline.

• And the last step is to take out the TLC plate and then dry it.

Adsorption Chromatography Applications

• The main application of adsorption chromatography is used for the separation of amino acids.

• adsorption chromatography is used in the isolation of antibiotics.

• adsorption chromatography is used in the identification of carbohydrates.

• adsorption chromatography is used to separate and identify fats and fatty acids.

• adsorption chromatography is used to isolate and determine peptides and proteins.

Types of Adsorption Chromatography:

There are four types of adsorption chromatography. They are

1. Thin Layer Chromatography

2. Paper chromatography

3. Column chromatography

4. Gas-Solid chromatography

Thin Layer Chromatography

Thin Layer Chromatography is defined as a chromatography technique where the mobile phase can move over an adsorbent and the adsorbent. A thin layer is mostly applied to a solid support for the separation of components. So, the separation takes place through differential migration which occurs when the solvent moves with the powder spread on the glass plates.

Paper chromatography

Paper Chromatography is a technique that uses paper sheets or strips as the adsorbent stationary phase through which a solution is made to pass the solid surface of the paper in the stationary phase and the liquid phase is the mobile phase.

Column chromatography

Column chromatography is defined as the technique in which the solutes of a solution are entitled to travel down a column and the individual components are adsorbed by the stationary phase which is based on the affinity towards adsorbent and the components take positions on the column. The most strongly adsorbed component is seen at the top of the column.

Gas-Solid chromatography

The Gas-Solid chromatography principle of separation in GSC is basically adsorption and it is mostly used for solutes which have less solubility in the stationary phase. This type of chromatography technique has a limited number of stationary phases available, this is the reason GSC is not used widely.