Suppose you are attempting the separation of three compounds (A, B, and C) by column chromatography on silica gel. You start by running a number of TLC in order to find the best solvent system for the separation. The results are summarized in the table below.
Solvent Rf for A Rf for B Rf for C
Hexane 0.10 0.00 0.00
Toluene 0.20 0.00 0.04
Diethyl ether 0.51 0.18 0.28
Ethyl acetate 0.81 0.45 0.60
a) How polar are the three compounds: low, medium, or highly polar (please estimate)?
b) What would be the result of a column chromatographic separation if the column chromatography was to be performed in the following eluents:
a) diethyl ether, or b) toluene.