Question

Set up a table and compare and contrast these 4-chromatographic/separation techniques (Gas Chromatography, Liquid Chromatography, Electrophoresis, Size Exclusion Chromatography). Make sure to include what characteristic the separation is based on, the mobile phase, the stationary phases, and an available detection method for each technique. Thank you!

Answer 1

Characterstics	Gas Chromatography	Liquid Chromatography	Electrophoresis	Size Exclusion Chromatography
Phase	Mobile phase is a gas stationary phase is a high boiling point liquid adsorbed onto a solid. Movement of the sample is achieved by movement of the mobile phase.	Mobile phase is a liquid The stationary phase in column chromatography is most typically a fine adsorbent solid; a solid that is able to hold onto gas or liquid particles on its outer surface. Movement of the sample is achieved by movement of the mobile phase.	has a stationary phase but no mobile phase Movement of the sample is achieved under an electric current.	The stationary phase is made of chemically inert materials such as gel, porous inorganic solids, glass etc. it uses non aqueous mobile phase organic solvent.
separation	Separation is primarily based on the boiling points of solute molecules	Separation is based on interaction of solute with the chromatography medium	it is used in chemistry for separating molecules by size, charge, or binding affinity.	size exclusion is based on molecular size of molecules
carried on	Can be carried out only in a column	Can be performed in a sheet or a column		can be performed in a coloumn
detection	Can be applied in the separation of volatile compounds and gaseous mixtures	Can be used to separate any soluble compound, e.g. amino acids, proteins, drugs, nucleic acids, lipids, antioxidants, carbohydrates, and natural and artificial polymers	The technique applies a negative charge so proteins move towards a positive charge.	Larger molecules run through the column faster than the small molecules; because they cannot enter in the porous matrix at stationary phase, whereas smaller molecules runs through the column matrix and takes longer time to elute. This technique is also applicable to larger molecules e.g., proteins, polymers. Quality control purposes people can use this technique e.g., to identify the differences in properties of polymers.
solvent	Uses any solvent that vaporizes	Uses polar solvents like water or methanol		uses non aqueous organic solvent.
	Separation is based on the boiling points of the solute molecules so it is not very flexible in terms of optimizing separation	Solute retention here is based on the interaction of solutes with the mobile and stationary phases so it is easy to optimize results	Electrophoresis is a technique used to separate macromolecules based on size.	separation is based on the size of molecules
used	It can be used to prepare pure compounds from a mixture	It separates molecules in a liquid mobile phase using a solid stationary phase.	This is used for both DNA and RNA analysis.	this technique helps to determine molecular weight distribution in synthetic polymers.