What is the Stationary Phase in Paper Chromatography

The stationary phase of paper chromatography consists of a piece of paper that is placed in a solvent or a mobile phase. The paper is composed of cellulose fibers, and cellulose is a polymer of simple sugar or glucose.

Paper chromatography is a kind of chromatography that works on a piece of special paper. This is a planner chromatography system in which cellulose filter-paper works as a stationary phase on which the compounds are separated. The basic principle involved in paper chromatography and thin-layer chromatography is partition chromatography in which the molecules are partitioned between liquid phases. Both TLC and paper chromatography is particularly applied for the separation of polar and non-polar compounds. Paper chromatography uses paper which acts as a stationary phase. 

The paper contains cellulose fibers, which are polymers -OH functional groups attached to polymer chains. These functional groups lead to retention and separation of surface absorbed analytes. Different molecules are balanced between the layer of the mobile phase and the water. There are various kinds of paper are were used, however, the Whatman filter papers number 1 and number 3 are found to be more suitable. An 18"x22" rectangular sheet of chromatography paper is usually available for analytical work. Apart from cellulose paper, to separate the different types of molecules different types of papers are also available which consists of silicone oil-impregnated papers, acetylated papers, silica, and alumina impregnated papers.


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