What order would these compounds elute in a 3:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate TLC run? [closed]








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I would figure the order would be (in order of smallest Rf to largest) W, Z, Y, X. Is the carboxylic acid more polar than the acetic anhydride?


[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wmBdb.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wmBdb.png)




Making predictions about elution order is always guesswork but based on my experience I would expect acetic acid to streak off the baseline, The benzyl alcohol to be of low Rf but above the acetic acid, the benzyl acetate Y to run high and I really don't know about the acetic anhydride, I suspect it will hydrolyse on the plate to give you more acetic acid so you will not see a separate spot. How are you planning on visualising these?


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