Question:easy

Method of chromatography in which negatively charged molecules are selectively released from the stationary phase by positively charged molecules in the mobile phase is termed:

Show Hint

Separation by net electrical charge, with elution driven by competing ions.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • Affinity chromatography
  • Ion-exchange chromatography
  • Adsorption chromatography
  • Size-exclusion chromatography
Show Solution

The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The clue in this question is the phrase about charged molecules being held and then swapped out by other charged molecules in the moving phase. That swapping of ions is the signature of one technique only.

Think about what each method actually sorts by. Affinity chromatography relies on a lock-and-key biological recognition, like a receptor grabbing its ligand, so charge alone is irrelevant. Adsorption chromatography ranks molecules by how strongly they stick to a surface, driven by polarity. Size-exclusion chromatography is essentially a molecular sieve, separating purely by physical size, with bulky molecules slipping past the porous beads first.

None of those involves an exchange of charged groups. The method built around fixed charged sites on the resin that capture oppositely charged solutes, then surrender them when competing ions flood the mobile phase, is ion-exchange chromatography. A resin bearing positive groups will trap negatively charged molecules and later let them go as more ions arrive, which is precisely what the stem narrates.
\[\boxed{\text{Ion-exchange chromatography}}\]
Was this answer helpful?
0