Question

How would you separate a mixture of benzhydrol, benzophenone, and biphenyl using column chromatography (i.e. which is the best eluent or mixture of eluent, order of addition of the eluents, order of elution, ect.)?

Answer 1

remember the principal of column chromatography

Column will work based on the polarity more polar compound will stick less to the column will move less through the column

less polar compound will move more though the column because it will stick less to the silica gel

so first identify the polarity of the compounds based on its functional groups

in benxhydril OH is the functional group

in Benzophenone Ketone is the functional group

in biphenyl only aromatic is the functional group

out of three -OH is more polar so more stick though hydrogen bonding to the column silical

so it will come last thought the column

ketone is more polar than aromatic and less polar than -OH so this will come second in order

biphenyl is least polar so it will come first in the column