Commercial applications of chromatography

We teach the analytical technique chromatography throughout science education. At post-16, we go into more depth and cover different types of chromatography, including paper chromatography, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), column chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). However, learners aged 16–18 may struggle to see the relevance of these techniques to the real world. Use this poster to show commercial applications of what they learn in the classroom and download the fact sheet for more information on how chemists use the techniques to separate and identify components of a mixture. The accompanying resource provides an TLC experiment set within a familiary context of over-the-counter analgesics. Suitable for key stage 5, S5–6 and senior cycle.