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Tomato juice contains a mixture of terpenes including lycopene and beta-carotene - Scottish Highers Chemistry - Question 17 - 2022
Question 17
Tomato juice contains a mixture of terpenes including lycopene and beta-carotene. Terpenes can be separated using chromatography. Which of the following is the mos... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Tomato juice contains a mixture of terpenes including lycopene and beta-carotene - Scottish Highers Chemistry - Question 17 - 2022
Step 1
Which of the following is the most suitable solvent to separate lycopene and beta-carotene?
Answer
To determine the most suitable solvent for separating lycopene and beta-carotene, we need to consider the polarity of the solvents relative to the polarity of the compounds.
- Lycopene is a non-polar compound due to its long hydrocarbon chain.
- Beta-carotene, while also non-polar, has more functional groups that can slightly enhance its polarity compared to lycopene.
Considering the options:
- Ethanol is a polar solvent and would not effectively separate these non-polar compounds.
- Pentane is a non-polar solvent that aligns well with the non-polar nature of both compounds.
- Propanoic acid is also polar, thus not suitable for effective separation.
- Water is highly polar and would not effectively separate non-polar compounds.
Given this analysis, Pentane (B) is the most suitable solvent for the chromatography separation of lycopene and beta-carotene.