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Why must the stationary phase remain immersed in solvent during elution chromatography?
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chromatography
Overview of the chemical technique of chromatography.
In elution chromatography, it is essential that the stationary phase remains continuously immersed in the mobile phase to prevent air bubbles from entering the column.1
If air bubbles enter the column, they can impede the flow of the mobile phase, which disrupts the separation process. Maintaining a consistent flow is critical because the separation of mixture components relies on their differential partitioning between the stationary and mobile phases as they are flushed through the system.12