What type of TLC plate to choose?
Various types of plates are available for thin-layer chromatography applications:
- classical TLC
- high performance TLC (also called HPTLC)
- preparative TLC (PLC).
The plate types are selected based on the type of analysis required and the available budget.
Properties | Classical TLC | HPTLC | Preparative PLC |
---|---|---|---|
Applications | Quick, inexpensive, flexible and classical separations | Highly sophisticated separation, complex samples | Purification on a TLC plate |
Analysis | Qualitative | Qualitative & Quantitative | Quantitative |
Detection | UV - Stains | Instrumented analysis (use of scanners for detection) | UV |
Price | Lower prices than HPTLC | Higher prices than TLC | - |
Distribution [Mean Particle Size] | 5 - 20 μm [10 - 14 μm] | 4 - 8 μm [5 - 6 μm] | 5 - 40 μm [22 - 25 μm] |
Layer Thickness | 200 - 250 μm | 150 - 200 μm | 500 - 2,000 μm |
Typical Sample Volume | 1 - 5 μL | 0.1 - 0.5 μL | 5 - 20 μL |