Answer:
The retention factor, k is 2.49
Explanation:
According to the theory of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), the retention factor (or capacity), k, of a column is the ratio of the retention time of a retained analyte (toluene) to that of the un-retained solute (methane).
This implies that:
k = [tex]\frac{16.35 (mins)}{ 6.39 (mins)}[/tex] = [tex]\frac{995 (secs)}{399 (secs)}[/tex]
retention factor, k = 2.49.
Note that there is no unit for retention factor, as it is a ratio.