Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) is based on the affinity separation of compounds in a mixture. It is a widely used universal separation method for sample identification and quantification. TLC can be employed to analyze substances from various categories, including pesticides, steroids, alkaloids, lipids, nucleic acids, glycosides, sugars, and fatty acids.

In TLC, the stationary phase is an inert support surface (usually glass, plastic, or aluminum) coated with a thin layer of adsorbent material (typically silica gel or alumina). The sample is spotted onto one end of the thin-layer plate, which is then placed vertically in a sealed chamber containing an organic solvent (mobile phase). The mobile phase moves upward on the plate due to capillary action, causing different components of the sample to migrate different distances based on their affinity for the stationary and mobile phases. When the solvent reaches the top of the plate, the thin-layer plate is removed from the chamber and dried. The separated components appear as spots on the thin-layer plate, and their Relative Front (Rf) values are calculated.

Thin-Layer Chromatography Procedure and Principles:

Thin-Layer Chromatography follows the classical chromatographic principles, relying on the differential affinity of components in a mixture between the stationary phase and liquid mobile phase for separation.

The Relative Front (Rf) is used to measure the movement of compounds on the thin-layer plate. Rf is defined as the distance traveled by an individual component divided by the total distance traveled by the solvent and is always between 0 and 1.

$��=\frac{\text{Distance moved by the component}}{\text{Distance moved by the solvent}}$

Generally, compounds with stronger binding affinity to the adsorbent of the stationary phase move more slowly on the thin-layer plate. Since TLC adsorbents are typically polar, non-polar compounds generally move faster with higher Rf values, while polar compounds tend to move slower with lower Rf values.

TLC finds widespread applications in various industries and research fields, including pharmaceuticals, clinical diagnostics, environmental toxicology, food, water and pesticide analysis, and cosmetics. Typical applications of TLC include:

1. Analysis of drug residues and antibiotics in food and environmental samples.
2. Identification and quantification of colors, components, preservatives, and sweeteners in food and cosmetics.
3. Quality control and purity determination of pharmaceutical formulations.
4. Rapid high-throughput screening before High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
5. Verification of chemical reaction completion.