What does the term 'retention time' refer to in chromatography?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What does the term 'retention time' refer to in chromatography?
The time taken for a sample to be injected
The time taken for a component to pass through the detector
The time a component spends in the stationary phase
The total time of the chromatographic run
Retention time refers to the time a component spends in the stationary phase before being eluted and detected.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: What does the term 'retention time' refer to in chromatography?
Solution: Retention time refers to the time a component spends in the stationary phase before being eluted and detected.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand that chromatography is a technique used to separate different components in a mixture.
Step 2: Know that there are two phases in chromatography: the stationary phase (where components stick) and the mobile phase (which moves the components).
Step 3: Realize that when a mixture is introduced, each component interacts differently with the stationary phase.
Step 4: Learn that 'retention time' is the specific time it takes for a component to travel through the stationary phase and reach the detector.
Step 5: Remember that different components have different retention times based on their interactions with the stationary phase.
