ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Radial chromatography

Radial chromatography is like a really cool science experiment where we try to separate different things that are mixed together. Imagine we have a big mixed bag of candy, and we want to separate the different colors and shapes into their own groups.

To do this, we use a special kind of paper that has tiny little holes called pores. We put the paper flat on a table, and we draw a circle in the center of the paper, like a big bullseye.

Next, we carefully put a tiny drop of the candy mixture in the middle of the circle. The candy mixture will start to spread out on the paper, and we will see that the different colors and shapes start to separate out as they move through the little holes in the paper.

Now comes the really cool part. We take a special liquid, called a solvent, and we carefully pour it on the edge of the paper. The solvent will start to seep into the paper and move towards the center of the circle, carrying the different parts of the candy mixture along with it.

As the solvent slowly moves through the paper, we will see the colors and shapes of the candy start to spread out and separate even more. This happens because different parts of the mixture will move at different speeds through the paper, depending on how well they stick to the paper and how fast they are carried by the solvent.

Finally, after the solvent has traveled all the way to the center of the circle, we can stop the experiment and take a look at the paper. We will see that the candy mixture has separated into different little bands or circles, each with its own color and shape.

This is how radial chromatography works. We can use it to separate all kinds of things, like different chemicals or molecules, and it helps us learn more about how things are made and how they behave. Isn't science awesome?!