What is the purpose of adding anhydrous, basic, potassium carbonate to a chromat

Question

What is the purpose of adding anhydrous, basic, potassium carbonate to a chromatography column?

Here is some context of the experimental procedure done:

Add approximately 2 grams of silica gel to the column through the funnel. Place a small Erlenmeyer flask underneath the column and add a few milliliters of CH2Cl2to the column. Continue to do this until the CH2Cl2 begins to drip out of the column. As the level of CH2Cl2 goes down, add 1 g of anhydrous potassium carbonate (a base) to the top of the silica gel. Add another milliliter of CH2Cl2 and wait for the level of the solvent to drain into the solid phase. Since it is clean, the CH2Cl2 you have collected in the Erlenmeyer flask can be used/recycled as the mobile phase in a moment once your sample has been added to the column.

WHAT ABOUT THE ANHYDROUS POTASSIUM CARBONATE SPECIFICALLY???

Explanation / Answer

Potassium carbonate separates the inorganicimpurities like chloride ions in eluent. In a column silica is solid phase. and passing CH2Cl2 in that phase while potassium carbonate separates ionic impuritires in CH2Cl2.

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