5. The Rf of ibuprofen was found to be 0.32 when t-butyl methyl ether was used as the development solvent. What effect would there be on the Rf of ibuprofen if acetone had been used to develop the TLC plate?

The Rf value of ibuprofen increases

Explanation:

TLC involves the elution of a solute using a mobile phase(solvent). The stationary phase is made of an adsorbent such as silica.

The extent of interaction between the solute and the mobile phase affects the Rf value. The greater the interaction between the solute and the solvent, the greater the Rf value.

On the other hand, the polarity of the solvent and the solute also affects the Rf value. If the solvent is changed from t-butyl methyl ether to acetone, the Rf value for ibuprofen increases because ibuprofen is polar and acetone is also polar hence there is greater interaction between the solvent and solute.