Student Response to Supermarket Micro-column Chromatography Experiment

Abstract

Chromatography is an important laboratory skill utilized throughout the chemical disciplines. Often, the materials required can be prohibitively expensive or overly hazardous. In the present study, we present an optimized procedure for an introductory chemistry laboratory experiment which uses only reagents and solvents purchased from a supermarket, which had previously been described in the literature. The impact of the experiment on student understanding of chromatography and whether using common materials to perform an experiment improved their interest in chemistry will be discussed.