What is the role of chromatography in organic laboratories?

Chromatography plays a crucial role in organic laboratories primarily for the separation and analysis of compounds. This technique allows chemists to isolate individual components from complex mixtures, enabling them to identify and quantify these substances.

The process of chromatography involves passing a mixture through a stationary phase and a mobile phase, where the differing affinities of compounds to these phases lead to their separation. Once separated, the compounds can be analyzed further using various detection methods, which can provide information about their composition and concentration.

In contrast, while purification is one aspect of chromatography, it is not accurate to say this technique is only for purification. Chromatography encompasses a broader range of applications, including the analysis of compounds to determine their identity and concentration. Other choices like measuring reaction temperatures and preparing solid compounds are not functions of chromatography, which exclusively focuses on employing different methods to analyze and separate chemical substances.