The objective of the experiment was to determine the purity and components of a mixture of fluorescein and bromonitroindoline, as well as separate them, through the process of thin layer chromatography.
Procedure Part A- Separation of Compounds by Thin Layer Chromatography
• Three 100 mL beakers and watch glasses were cleaned in preparation for this experiment. Three silica gel plates were acquired from the instructor, and to each plate a line was drawn 5 mm from the edge of the plate on both sides with a pencil, this was done carefully as to not scratch or break the plate’s gel layer. After marking the plates, three different concentrations of methanol and dichloromethane were prepared in the three beakers: a solution with 1 mL methanol and 1 mL dichloromethane, a solution with 1 mL methanol and 2 mL dichloromethane, and a solution with 1 mL methanol and 3 mL dichloromethane. These beakers were set aside while the next samples were collected. Using a capillary tube, a drop of fluorescein was placed on …show more content…
It was emphasized that the drops should not be allowed to touch each other, so small dots were preferable to use. It was observed that the fluorescein dot had a distinct yellow color, the bromonitroindoline dot had a distinct orange color, and the mixture had a sort of combination of both colors. Once the samples were placed on the line, the plate with the 1:1 ratio of solvents was placed carefully in the beaker, making sure the dots did not touch the solvent, and the plates were placed so that they were completely vertical (fully reclining on