---
title: "A student performs paper chromatography on a mixture of two dyes, Dye 1 and Dye 2, using cellulose paper as the stationary phase and ethanol, \\(\\text{C}_2\\text{H}_5\\text{OH}\\) (a polar solvent), as the mobile phase. The experimental results are shown in the table below.  | Dye | Solvent Front Distance (cm) | Dye Distance (cm) | |—|—|—| | Dye 1 | \\(10.0\\) | \\(8.0\\) | | Dye 2 | \\(10.0\\) | \\(3.0\\) |  If the student repeats the experiment using hexane, \\(\\text{C}_6\\text{H}_{14}\\) (a nonpolar solvent), as the mobile phase, which of the following predictions regarding Dye 1 is correct, and why?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119199/"
date_modified: "2026-08-19T12:39:20+00:00"
---

# A student performs paper chromatography on a mixture of two dyes, Dye 1 and Dye 2, using cellulose paper as the stationary phase and ethanol, \(\text{C}_2\text{H}_5\text{OH}\) (a polar solvent), as the mobile phase. The experimental results are shown in the table below.

| Dye | Solvent Front Distance (cm) | Dye Distance (cm) |
|—|—|—|
| Dye 1 | \(10.0\) | \(8.0\) |
| Dye 2 | \(10.0\) | \(3.0\) |

If the student repeats the experiment using hexane, \(\text{C}_6\text{H}_{14}\) (a nonpolar solvent), as the mobile phase, which of the following predictions regarding Dye 1 is correct, and why?

A student performs paper chromatography on a mixture of two dyes, Dye 1 and Dye 2, using cellulose paper as the stationary phase and ethanol, \(\text{C}_2\text{H}_5\text{OH}\) (a polar solvent), as the mobile phase. The experimental results are shown in the table below.

| Dye | Solvent Front Distance (cm) | Dye Distance (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| Dye 1 | \(10.0\) | \(8.0\) |
| Dye 2 | \(10.0\) | \(3.0\) |

If the student repeats the experiment using hexane, \(\text{C}_6\text{H}_{14}\) (a nonpolar solvent), as the mobile phase, which of the following predictions regarding Dye 1 is correct, and why?

- **A.** Dye 1 will travel a greater distance because nonpolar hexane moves faster up the paper, carrying all solutes farther.
- **B.** Dye 1 will travel a greater distance because it forms stronger London dispersion forces with hexane than the dipole-dipole forces it formed with ethanol.
- **C.** Dye 1 will travel a shorter distance because it forms weaker intermolecular attractions with nonpolar hexane than with polar ethanol.
- **D.** Dye 1 will travel the same distance because the retention factor (\(R_f\)) depends only on the stationary phase and is independent of the mobile phase.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119199/*