alleryStart learning →On what basis does chromatography separate plant pigments?
AOn the colour each one reflects best
BOn their electrical charge at high pH
COn their relative affinities to two phases
DOn their exact molecular masses alone
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. On their relative affinities to two phases
1. Chromatography is an additional method for the identification of plant pigments.
2. Various types of it separate the pigments by their relative affinities to solid and mobile phases.
3. A pigment that clings to the solid phase moves slowly, while one that prefers the mobile phase travels further.
4. The separation is therefore driven by affinity rather than by colour.
5. Absorption of light is what a spectrophotometer measures instead, so colour plays no part in the separation itself.
6. No claim is made about molecular mass or charge governing this method.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 8 "Photosynthesis", section 8.2 The Light-Dependent Reactions of Photosynthesis_
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