Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC)
Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is a chromatographic separation technique that uses a support coated on a support plate as a stationary phase and a suitable solvent as a mobile phase to separate, identify, and quantify mixed samples. This is a particularly effective chromatography method for the rapid separation of fatty acids, steroids, amino acids, nucleotides, alkaloids and many other substances.
The principle of TLC
Thin-layer chromatography is a kind of adsorption thin-layer chromatography separation method, which uses the different adsorption capacity of each component to the same adsorbent, so that in the process of the mobile phase (solvent) flowing through the stationary phase (adsorbent). Adsorption, desorption, re-adsorption, re-desorption are continuously produced, so as to achieve the purpose of separation of the components from each other.
Strengths
- Convenient operation, simple equipment, easy color rendering.
- Expansion rate is fast, generally only takes 15-20 minutes.
- The mixture is easy to separate, and the resolution is generally 10-100 times higher than that of paper chromatography.
- It is not only suitable for the separation of only 0.01 μg sample, but also can separate the sample larger than 500 mg.
- Corrosive developer such as concentrated sulfuric acid and concentrated hydrochloric acid can be used.
Limitations
- The separation effect of biopolymers is not ideal.
- The length of the TLC board is usually limited.
- The humidity and temperature of the room will affect the TLC.
- Not as specific as other chromatography techniques.
Applications
- Food and nutrition
- Drugs and drug metabolism
- Chemistry and chemical engineering
- Control of chemical reaction process
- Toxicological analysis and forensic chemistry
- Pesticide
The nutrients in food are protein, amino acids, sugars, oils and fats, vitamins, food coloring and so on. Hazardous substances include residual pesticides and carcinogenic aflatoxins. These components can be quantified and quantified by TLC.
Thin-layer chromatography is widely used in synthetic medicine and natural medicine.
Chemical and chemical organic raw materials and products can be analyzed by TLC. For example, organic compounds containing various functional groups, petroleum products, plastic monomers, rubber pyrolysis products, paint raw materials, synthetic detergents, etc., the content is very extensive.
The control of the chemical reaction process, the detection of the reaction by-products and the analysis of the intermediates, when the chemical reaction is carried out for a certain time or at the end of the reaction, the reaction solution is taken out for thin layer analysis, and we can know how many raw materials are left.
Narcotic drugs, barbital, hashish and opium alkaloids can be analyzed by TLC.
More than ten kinds of organophosphorus pesticides and six kinds of organochlorine pesticides can be separated and determined on the TLC, which can be used for pesticide analysis and residue analysis.
In conclusion, T,C&A Lab can offer TLC services that can solve materials testing related problem. Finally, please complete the form to have an expert discuss your needs.
Reference
- Akash M.S.H., Rehman K. (2020) Thin Layer Chromatography. In: Essentials of Pharmaceutical Analysis. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1547-7_12
Note: this service is for Research Use Only and Not intended for clinical use.
Menu
-
Techniques
- Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS)
- Atomic Force Microscope
- Auger Electron Spectroscopy
- Electron Backscatter Diffraction
- Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS)
- Focused Ion Beam (FIB)
- Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
- Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)
- Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC)
- Glow Discharge-Mass Spectrometry (GD-MS)
- IGA Gas Adsorption System
- Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
- Ion Chromatography (IC)
- Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) System
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
- Raman Spectrometer
- Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS)
- Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
- Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS)
- Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC)
- Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS)
- Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence
- XPS/ESCA
- X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)
- X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)
- X-ray Reflectivity (XRR)
