Among this general class of carotenes, β-Carotene is
distinguished by having beta-rings at both ends of the
molecule
. Isolation of β-carotene from fruits abundant in
carotenoids is commonly done using column chromatography.
The separation of β-carotene from the mixture of other
carotenoids is based on the polarity of a compound. β-Carotene
is a non-polar compound, so it is separated with a non-polar
solvent such as hexane30. Being highly conjugated, it is deeply
colored, and as a hydrocarbon lacking functional groups, it is
very lipophilic