Question

A mixture of lipids is applied to a silica gel column and the column is washed with increasingly polar solvents. The mixture consists of phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, cholesteryl palmitate (a steryl ester), sphingomyelin, palmitate, n-tetradecanol, triacylglycerol, and cholesterol. In what order will the lipids elute from the column from the first to elute from the column to the last

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Silica gel is polar, therefore the non-polar (hydrophobic) lipids will elute first whereas the polar (hydrophilic) lipids will elute later. In the given lipid sample the order from non-polar to polar is:

triacylglycerol, cholesterol, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylserine.

Hence the order of elution from the first to the last will also be the same. i.e,triacylglycerol( elutes1st), cholesterol, sphingomylein, phosphatidylserine (elutes last).