Rookie Mistakes - Chromatography

Mistake	Check the mistakes you have made	Number of rookies who have done this
forgot to make co spot in the TLC .		22
Dropped your pipet into the column... then tried to retrieve it, only to drop something else in.		16
Mix the fractions from a Chromatography and put the waste in the product.		15
Ran TLC without spotting plate. Didn't realize until visualization stage.		10
placed silica gel before cotton plug for column only to watch the silica gel flow right out		9
Under/overestimate the elution time of product and collect it with waste.		8
Drop a too small stopper into a column. Try to fish it out with a big pair of tweezers, drop it again and brake the column.		6
Tried to run TLC in two solvents that were immiscible.		4
About to run a small column you crush the glassware by tightening the clamps to far.		3
Accidentally poured sodium sulfate drying agent instead of sand into a column.		3
Had the water bottle and mobile-phase bottle next to eachother on the bench while running a column. Guess which bottle I used when I next had to replenish the mobile phase.		3
Attempted to force capillary tube through thin rubber septum to obtain TLC sample. Tube broke off in finger...trip to the emergency room!		2
two starting was there...made wrong numbering and got confused		2
Used broken clip for reservoir. Got tidal wave of CHCl3 in face. Stings eyes.		1

Other Rookie Mistakes

Equipment Reagents Setup Quenching Rxns Workup Chromatography

Distillation Spectroscopy Cleaning Record-Keeping Accidents Miscellaneous