Paper chromatography

Paper chromatography is an analytical technique for separating and identifying pigments and other molecule from extracts that contain a complex mixture of molecules. It is one of the frequently used forms of chromatography. The solvent moves up the paper by capillary action, which occurs as a result of the attraction of the solvent molecules to the paper and to one another. As the solvent moves up the paper, it carries along any substance dissolved in it. The pigments are carried along at different rates because they are not equally soluble in the solvent and because they are attracted, to different degrees, to the fibers in the paper and through the formation of intermolecular bonds, such as hydrogen bonds.