ABSTRACT
The following table contains the common solvents used in thin-layer chromatography (TLC), with a measure of their “strengths” on silica gel and alumina. The solvent strength parameter, ε°, is defined as a relative energy of adsorption per unit area of standard adsorbent [1–3]. It is defined as zero on alumina when pentane is used as the solvent. This series is what was called the eluotropic series in the older literature. For convenience, the solvent viscosity is also provided. Note that the viscosity is tabulated in cP for the convenience of most TLC users. This is equivalent to mPa·s in the SI convention. Additional data on these solvents may be found in the tables on high-performance liquid chromatography.
