What technique is used to separate the components of a mixture based on their tendency to travel across the surface of another material?

The technique used to separate the components of a mixture based on their tendency to travel across the surface of another material is chromatography. This method relies on the differing affinities of the various substances in the mixture for the stationary phase (the surface material) versus the mobile phase (the solvent or gas carrying the mixture).

In chromatography, components are separated as they move at different rates, leading to the formation of distinct bands or spots for each component on the medium. For example, mixtures of pigments in inks can be separated effectively on paper through this process, demonstrating how each pigment travels differently based on its properties.

Other techniques listed, such as distillation, filtration, and centrifugation, operate on different principles. Distillation separates mixtures based on differences in boiling points, filtration separates based on particle size, and centrifugation uses centrifugal force to differentiate components based on density. Each of these techniques is effective for specific types of mixtures but does not involve the principle of traveling across a surface as in chromatography.