Separating the Components of a Mixture

Core concept

Chromatography is particularly useful for separating mixtures of similar substances, like different pigments in ink, where components move at different rates through a paper strip based on their solubility and how strongly they bind to the paper — this is widely used in forensic science and to test for purity of substances. Simple distillation separates liquids with significantly different boiling points, while fractional distillation is used for liquids with closer boiling points, such as separating components of crude oil.