Question

compare the advantages and limitations of column chromatography with thin layer chromatography in a

tabular form.

Answer 1

Column Chromatography:

(1) The biggest advantage of column chromatography is that it can usually be scaled to the project at hand.

(2)

This is especially useful if one is trying to separate and purify a reaction mixture preparing an intermediate in a sequence of reactions.

(3) The corresponding disadvantage is the column may take a long time to properly prepare and use.

Thin Layer Chromatography :

(1) Thin layer chromatography is usually great for initial analysis and determining the conditions needed for a good separation.

(2) Many plates are commercially available and the chromatograms usually do not take a long time to develop.

(3) The main disadvantage is the very small amounts of compounds handled. These can be recovered for instrumental analysis, but seldom is there enough for futher reaction.