ABSTRACT
Thin-layer chromatography (TLC), discovered in 1938 by Izmailov and Schraiber and standardized by Stahl, is still regarded as one of the most effective techniques for isolation, identification, and quantitative analyses of inorganic and organic compounds. In addition to being an off-line technique in which the various procedural steps can be carried out independently, TLC offers several other advantages such as minimal sample cleanup, wide choice of mobile phases, flexibility in sample detection, high sampleloading capacity, easy accessibility, open and disposable nature of TLC plates, low solvent consumption, comparatively low operational cost, and relatively little need for modern laboratory facilities. The poorer separation efficiency and the influence of environmental conditions on the reproducibility of Rf values have, however, been major disadvantages of TLC compared to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC).
