Final answer:
The question involves analytical chemistry and column chromatography principles, focusing on the interpretation of chromatograms, retention times, and selectivity factors to analyze compound separations. It also considers the law of definite proportions in the context of comparing two compound compositions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject in question is Chemistry, particularly analytical chemistry involving chromatographic techniques. The analysis of chromatograms, retention times, capacity factors, and selectivity factors are tools used to assess the efficiency of compound separation in column chromatography.
When ranking chromatograms from best to worst separation, we examine the resolution between peaks. To determine the retention times, we look at the x-axis of the chromatogram where each peak reaches its maximum. To calculate capacity factors (k'), we use the formula k' = (tR - t0) / t0, where tR is the retention time of the peak, and t0 is the void time, given as 1.1 minutes here. The selectivity factor (α) assesses the relative retention between two peaks and can be calculated using α = k'2 / k'1.
The law of definite proportions states that a chemical compound always contains exactly the same proportion of elements by mass. Comparing the mass of carbon and hydrogen in compound X and compound Y, if these mass ratios are constant, it indicates that they are the same compound or that they follow the law of definite proportions. If the ratios are different, it could represent different compounds, where the law of multiple proportions might apply. However, more information about the molar ratio of the elements would be necessary to make a definitive statement.