ABSTRACT
Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plays a particular role in the field. It is used mainly for analytical goals; it may also be used as a cleanup or research technique. The use of TLC for the separation, identification, and quantitation of environmental pollutants has a long history, and there are innumerable references in the literature. A description of properties and applications of TLC adsorbents was presented in the review paper by Hanh-Deinstrop. TLC applications for environmental investigation can be classified based on the criteria of goals of experiments. The TLC technique was also used for detection of the substances in coal-tar and river and marine sediments. Chemical, physical, and/or biological-physiological procedures have been used to locate the analytes on chromatographic plates. On the other hand, assessment of physical and chemical properties of pollutants, such as their mobility, bioaccumulation, and biotransformation, is also an important area of TLC study.
