After the reaction mixture is added to the top of the silica gel column, the instructions state: "Open the stopcock and drain the column until the meniscus is just above the top layer of the material. Add another 0.5 mL of solvent and repeat the process toensure that all of the desired products are adsorbed onto the silica gel. This process ensures that none of the desired products are dissolved in solution above the column."Why is this procedure important? How would the TLC plates look different than your prediction in Q1 if a student skipped this step?

Kindly check the explanation section.

Explanation:

Without mincing words let's dive straight into the solution to the question.

The instructions given in the question above is very important as it concerns the total adsorption of the product on the silica gel. The instruction is made so that adsorption of the product is on the silica gel so as to avoid the distortion in polarity of the compound.

Part B.

If the student avoid the step, there would be problem of which the compound which is in mixture will be running out of the column. Also, the compounds won't be made pure.

In summary, for the first part adsorption is done on the silica gel thus, the instructions is to be followed.

For the second part, if the step is not avoided then the Compounds will be made pure if the step