Answer to Question #105473 in Chemistry for Riya

Question

Describe the mechanism of ion exchange in ion exchange chromatography and
illustrate your answer.

Answer 1

Ion exchange chromatography provides the separation of molecules based on ionic interactions. The solid phase has charged functional groups that interact with the analyzed ionized molecules of the opposite charge that are present in the solution. This variant of chromatography is classified into two types - cation and anion ion-exchange chromatography.

Cation-exchange chromatography is based on the capture of positively charged cations, since the solid phase has negatively charged functional groups.

Anionic-exchange chromatography is related to the binding of negatively charged anions as the solid phase has positively charged functional groups.