Question

A student is asked to determine how many different dyes a water-soluble food coloring contains. Which technique is best suited to this task?
     (A) paper chromatography
     (B) distillation
     (C) column chromatography
     (D) filtration

Answer 1

Paper chromatography is more suitable for the separation of coloured water soluble dye and food coloring content because paper chromatography is powerful tool in analytical chemistry for separating coloured components by according to their rates of migration.

Distillation is not suitable for separating coloured components because distillation is dependent on separating the component on their boiling points. But during distillation colour of components get changed and hence separation and indentification error occure.

Column chromatography- In this technique separation of components takes place on adsorption rates and during adsorption on adsorbent colour changes.it is also affected by pH and temperature hence passibility of to change the colour and identification become complicated.

Filtration- filtration is the process in which separation is done by size of the component i. e micro and macro but dyes are the water complete soluble then this method is not applicable.