Question

Arrange the following in order of increasing Rf with TLC:

Answer 1

Answer:

Decane> 2-octanone> acetaldehyde> acetic acid> 1-butanol

Explanation:

One of the most important factors that affect the retention factor (Rf) in chromatography is the polarity of the mobile phase.

We have to recall that effective separation in chromatography depends on the movement of the mobile phase over a stationary phase.

The more polar the mobile phase, the more it interacts with the solute and the more the distance it travels from the baseline. Thus high solvent polarity leads to higher Rf value.

Therefore, the order of increasing Rf values for the solvents in the question is; Decane> 2-octanone> acetaldehyde> acetic acid> 1-butanol