Chromatography

[Lily786]

Hi, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read my message. I've recently completed a chromatography lab using extracts from parsley and spinach and have some difficult questions I cannot answer. Firstly, I am required to compare the plant species and relate this to their Rf values for chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenes, xanthophylls. Secondly, I am asked what the Rf value indicates about each pigment. I'm not sure how to correctly phrase this. Does it display the "strength" of the pigment, the "amount" of the pigment?

Please help A.S.A.P. and I'm incredibly thankful for all responses.

[Philippe]

hey there,
Does it help you to know that the solvant you use is probably hydrophobic (non-polar) and that the silicium on which the pigments migrate is hydrophilic. So if a pigment migrates higher that means that it is more hydrophobic than another that doesn t migrate that far...how bout what others think?
see ya
Phil