Thin-layer and paper chromatography.

Abstract

This selective review covers the literature of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and paper chromatography (PC) cited in Chemical Abstracts from December 5, 1983, through November 25, 1985, and Analytical Abstracts from November 1983 to November 1985. Also researched directly were the following important journals publishing papers on TLC and PC: the Journal of Chromatography (including its bibliography issues), Journal of High Resolution Chromatography and Chromatography Communications, Journal of Chromatographic Science, Chromatographia, Analytical Chemistry, JAOAC, and the special TLC issues of the Journal of Liquid Chromatography. Many of the inherent advantages of TLC that are obvious to workers familiar with high performance, quantitative theory and practice still are not appreciated adequately by the majority of people using chromatography. These include unrestricted access to the separation process; introducing magnetic, thermal, electrical, and other physical forces to improve resolution; high sample throughput; truly multidimensional separations; and the use of controlled multiple gradients. Many advantages of TLC relative to column chromatography were discussed in the Introductions to our 1982 and 1984 reviews of TLC in this Journal. No complete commercial robotics system specifically for TLC has been developed, but all necessary modules are available for such a system. The combination of robotics, with the continuedmore » development of theory, practice, and instrumentation will lead eventually to TLC systems that are unrivaled for speed, versatility, accuracy, precision, and sensitivity. 573 references.« less