TLC capillary action

[SaintJude]

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In Thin layer chromatography, how in the heck does capillary action force the solvent to rise up the plate?

I am familiar with the concept of capillary action causing the liquid levels to rise at the sides of the tube. But in TLC, solvents move quite a distance!

 

[MedPR]

In Thin layer chromatography, how in the heck does capillary action force the solvent to rise up the plate?

I am familiar with the concept of capillary action causing the liquid levels to rise at the sides of the tube. But in TLC, solvents move quite a distance!

I don't really understand capillary action either aside from thinking of it as solvent molecules climbing on top of one another due to adhesive/cohesive forces. I just believe that it works how it is supposed to because 1. I've done TLC labs in the past and 2. if you stick piece of water in a cup of water, the paper gets wet higher than the water level. Good enough for me! 😀