Syringe Suction Flash Chromatography

The purification of compounds by column chromatography is a fundamental skill to the organic chemist. Traditionally, students have little exposure to purification of compounds with this method due to safety, time, and/or equipment restraints. A procedure for the rapid purification of compounds by silica gel chromatography that negates the need for students to handle silica gel and the necessity for high pressure is disclosed in this report. Applications to the separation of components from paprika extraction and the purification of borneol and isoborneol from the reduction of camphor are also included. Syringe Suction Flash Chromatography (SSFC) is a highly efficient technique and is expected to find a variety of uses in the undergraduate organic laboratory as it is safe, inexpensive, and widely applicable.