A three component mixture was run on tlc. When the solvent front migrated 20 cm the spots representing the components appeared at 5 cm, 10 cm, and 15 cm. What are the Rf values of the three components.
To calculate the Rf (retention factor) values of the three components in the TLC (thin layer chromatography) experiment, you need to use the following formula:
Rf = Distance traveled by the compound / Distance traveled by the solvent front
In this case, the solvent front migrated 20 cm in total. The spots representing the components appeared at 5 cm, 10 cm, and 15 cm, respectively.
Therefore, the Rf value for the first component can be calculated as:
Rf1 = (Distance traveled by the first component) / (Distance traveled by the solvent front)
= 5 cm / 20 cm
= 0.25
Similarly, the Rf values for the second and third components can be calculated as:
Rf2 = (Distance traveled by the second component) / (Distance traveled by the solvent front)
= 10 cm / 20 cm
= 0.50
Rf3 = (Distance traveled by the third component) / (Distance traveled by the solvent front)
= 15 cm / 20 cm
= 0.75
Therefore, the Rf values of the three components in the mixture are 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75, respectively.