Chromatography was first used to split colours in plants and dyes. The Paper chromatography method is popular for separating and isolating and also giving a better idea of the chemical identification of a compound.
You need a solvent or developer and the paper acts as a wick to pull the solvent up the paper. The constituents of the ink will not all dissolve at the same frequency and will show as different colours. The separated colours are the chromatogram
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