ABSTRACT
Thin-layer chromatography has found extensive application in protein chemistry. This includes recovery of peptides in microgram and nanogram quantities for further primary structural analysis; identification of peptides in partial hydrolysates, in correlating the chromatographic properties of the intact peptides with those of individual amino acids; peptide mapping to characterize or identify a protein available in very small quantities; resolution of diastereomeric and enantiomeric peptides without any derivatization; fractionation of proteins on the ultramicro scale; testing the optical homogeneity of synthetic peptides; and determination of molecular weights of peptides and proteins. However, TLC has been practiced to a lesser extent for the analysis of peptides, especially the proteins, because several other high-resolution techniques are available, e.g., HPLC; column liquid chromatography involving size exclusion, ion-exchange, and affinity phenomena; SDS-PAGE; capillary electrophoresis; and mass spectrometry as a detector.
