Is there a difference in polarity between maleic acid and fumeric acid?

[MarcL]

I was wondering because I did a TLC experiment where maleic acid has a RF of 1.4 and fumeric acid has an Rf of 4.5. Everywhere says that a longer Rf means that the solvent is less polar than a smaller Rf solvent. However I read somewhere else that Maleic acid has the same polarity as fumeric acid.

thanks for the help guys

 

[Borek]

As you were already told elsewhere, Rf is typically reported as belonging to 0..1 range, so the values you have listed look strange.

Rf is not a property of a solvent, it is a value characteristic of a solvent/substance/stationary phase triplet.

Neither maleic nor fumaric (note the spelling) acid are liquid at room temperature, so neither of them was a solvent here.

Hard to answer the question, when there is so much confusing data in your post.

 

[RonLek]

Fumaric acid has lesser polarity than maleic acid as in fumaric acid polarities of the two-COOH groups get canceled so there is polarity only due to the two -H whereas in maleic acid the polarities of the two -COOH groups get added along with polarities of the two -H