What is the stationary phase in chromatography?

The absorbent paper is the stationary phase in chromatography.

Hi! The aim of chromatography is to separate a mixture into its various components through the different chemical properties of those components. The stationary phase is usually the chromatography paper itself, but could also be a TLC plate (thin-layer chromatography plate). To help understand this better, the mobile phase is the solvent and so the mobile phase (solvent) will travel up the stationary phase (chromatography paper). As the mobile phase travels up the stationary phase, it will bring the biological molecules of the mixture with it. Due to the properties of the biological molecules within the mixture, each part will be absorbed by differing strengths onto the chromatography paper. This means that molecules absorbed less will travel at a faster speed up in the chromatography paper (stationary phase). So to recap, the stationary phase is what the mobile phase travels up, and so it is usually the chromatography paper in most experiments.

This is the thing that does not move during chromatography and the mobile phase travels through this. For example, in normal paper chromatography:

mobile phase - liquid medium (e.g. water which travels up the paper)

stationary phase - paper