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Sunday, April 12, 2020

Why silica gel is used as a stationary phase in column chromatography?

Column chromatography is the most efficient technique of separating and purifying components, in which the solid stationary phase and a liquid mobile phase used. In the process of separation, the column is filled with silica gel, a sample compounds placed on top of the column, and then the mobile phase moves from the solid support under the force of gravity. Depending on differing affinity of molecules to the stationary phase they are isolated and separated into fractions.
Silica gel as a stationary phase is largely accepted as one of the top adsorbents used in column chromatography as well as other separation techniques. One of the major advantages is its tremendous affinity for adsorption. Additionally, it is commercially very readily available in several different sizes and types and there is a huge of information and research that is given by producer on its many uses, particularly in chromatography. The major significant reason for silica gel used as a stationary phase in column chromatography is that it has feasible to obtain the extract essential size of the particle size for a particular method.
Silica gel is a polar adsorbent that is slightly acidic and has a strong capacity to adsorb the basic substance. Alumina is slightly basic and has a strong capacity to retain acidic molecules. This is better to separate the analytes that are moderately or weak polar. The silica gel is most widely used in the reversed-phase partition chromatography and it has broad applications that consist of separation of steroids, amino acids, lipids, alkaloids, and several pharmaceutical processes.

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