January 20, 2010
by Arvin Moser, Team Manager, Application Scientists, ACD/Labs
TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography) offers a simple approach to identifying a solvent(s) for separating out a mixture, monitoring a reaction to completion, etc. Furthermore, the TLC plates can be stained to identify the presence or absence of various functional groups such as amines, ketones, etc. This qualitative experiment does offer various drawbacks.
The process of staining typically requires the items shown in the illustration below.
The following websites offer more insight into the process of staining.
http://webpub.allegheny.edu/employee/s/smurphre/research/visualization.pdf
Org Prep Daily: http://orgprepdaily.wordpress.com/2006/09/27/tlc-staining-solutions/
Curly Arrow Blog: http://curlyarrow.blogspot.com/2006/11/lets-talk-about-tlcs-part-1-vanillin.html