Chapter 29: Introduction to Chromatography and Spectroscopy
Organic and Biochemistry Supplement to Enhanced Introductory College Chemistry
by Gregory Anderson; Jen Booth; Caryn Fahey; Adrienne Richards; Samantha Sullivan Sauer; and David Wegman
Chapter 29 Contents
- 29.1 Chromatography Basics
- 29.2 Thin Layer (TLC) and Paper Chromatography (PC)
- 29.3 Chromatographic Columns
- 29.4 Chromatography Technology
- 29.5 Spectroscopy Basics
- 29.6 Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy
- 29.7 Mass Spectrometry (MS)
- 29.8 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
- 29.9 1H NMR Spectroscopy
- 29.10 13C NMR Spectroscopy
- 29.11 Visible and Ultra-Violet Spectroscopy (UV-Vis)
- Chapter 29 – Summary
- Chapter 29 – Review
- Chapter 29 – Infographic descriptions
Except where otherwise noted, this OER is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Please visit the web version of Organic and Biochemistry Supplement to Enhanced Introductory College Chemistry to access the complete book, interactive activities and ancillary resources.
In this chapter, you will learn about:
- The process of chromatography
- Various chromatography methods and technologies
- The process of spectroscopy
- Various spectroscopy methods and technologies
- How to identify compounds based on their IR, MS, NMR and UV-Vis spectra
To better support your learning, you should be familiar with the following concepts before starting this chapter:
- Knowledge of functional groups and their physical properties (Chapter 19: Organic Chemistry)
- Naming and structures of simple organic molecules
How do scientists know the structure of a compound like that of acetylsalicyclic acid in Figure 29a? How do scientists know what elements are in that compound? How do scientists separate one compound from a mixture?
Watch Craze Sports Supplement Reportedly Contains Meth-Like Compound on YouTube (2 min)
Video source: ABC News. (2013, October 15). Craze Sports supplement reportedly contains meth-like compound [Video]. YouTube.
In the video, scientists identified a potentially harmful compound in a sports supplement. They used tools and processes to detect components of a mixture, separate the mixture and identify elements and structures of compounds.
These tools are broadly classified as chromatography methods and spectroscopy methods.
Chromatography is a method by which a mixture is separated by distributing its components between two phases. The stationary phase remains fixed in place while the mobile phase carries the components of the mixture through the medium being used. Because of the differences in factors such as the solubility of certain components in the mobile phase and the strength of their affinities for the stationary phase, some components will move faster than others, thus facilitating the separation of the components within that mixture.
Spectroscopy is used to determine the structure of a compound. Electromagnetic radiation of a specified range of wavelengths is allowed to pass through a sample containing a compound of interest. The sample molecules absorb energy from some of the wavelengths, and as a result jump from a low energy ‘ground state’ to some higher energy ‘excited state’. Other wavelengths are not absorbed by the sample molecule, so they pass on through. A detector on the other side of the sample records which wavelengths were absorbed, and to what extent they were absorbed.
In this chapter, a basic introduction to several chromatography and spectroscopy techniques will be explored.
Attribution & References
- Chromatography paragraph is from “Chromatography” In Instrumentation and Analysis authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- Spectroscopy paragraph is from “11.1: The Electromagnetic Spectrum and Spectroscopy” In Map: Organic Chemistry (Wade), Complete and Semesters I and II by LibreTexts, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
method by which a mixture is separated by distributing its components between two phases
use of electromagnetic radiation (energy) to determine the structure of a compound
