Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. component
    one of the individual parts making up a larger entity
    In this experiment we’ll use a technique called chromatography to separate components of a mixture.
  2. botanist
    a biologist specializing in the study of plants
    Chromatography was developed in the early 1900s by Russian botanist Mikhail Tsvet.
  3. pigment
    substance in plant or animal tissues producing a color
    He used it to separate different plant pigments, which are substances that give plants their coloring.
  4. chlorophyll
    any of green pigments found in photosynthetic organisms
    Chlorophyll, for example, gives plants their green coloring, and carotenoids are responsible for orange coloring.
  5. forensic
    used in the investigation of facts or evidence in court
    Because chromatography can be used to separate and identify components of complex mixtures, forensic scientists often use this process to analyze materials found at crime scenes.
  6. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    For example, investigators can use chromatography to study samples of body fluids (e.g., blood, urine) or to identify specific substances, such as drugs or other chemicals, present in soil, water, or debris.
  7. solvent
    a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances
    In paper chromatography, a solvent such as water is used to separate components of a mixture along a piece of paper.
  8. polar
    having a pair of equal and opposite charges
    The process works because the solutes in the mixture that are more polar dissolve well in water, which is also polar.
  9. retention
    the power of holding back liquid
    Each solute from the mixture can then be described by its retention factor, or Rf value.
  10. ratio
    the relative magnitudes of two quantities
    The Rf value is defined as a ratio:
    Rf = distance from start to center of solute / distance from start to finish
Created on Tue May 19 13:33:39 EDT 2020 (updated Tue May 19 15:04:22 EDT 2020)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.