What is column chromatography?

(N/A) Column chromatography is a technique used to separate components of a mixture based on the differential adsorption of the components on an adsorbent material.
In this process,a mixture is placed on the top of a column packed with a suitable adsorbent (stationary phase),such as silica gel or alumina.
An eluent (mobile phase) is then passed through the column.
As the mobile phase moves down the column,the components of the mixture move at different rates depending on their affinity for the stationary phase versus the mobile phase.
Consequently,the components are separated into distinct bands and can be collected individually as they elute from the bottom of the column.