Thin-layer chromatography plate
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A thin-layer chromatography plate or simply called TLC plate, is a small sheet of glass, plastic, or aluminium, which is coated with a thin layer of adsorbent material, usually silica gel, aluminium oxide (alumina) or cellulose, used in thin-layer chromatography.
Contents
General
TLC plates consist of a rectangular thin sheet of glass, plastic, aluminium, or some other solid material, which has a very thin coating of an adsorbent material, insoluble in all solvents. The solid plate is generally thin enough that it can be easily cut into strips with a box cutter.
Availability
TLC plates can be bought from lab suppliers and online.
DIY TLC plate
A simple TLC plate can be made by making a slurry or very finely grounded silica gel and carefully pouring it on a microscope slide, then heat it in an oven to activate it.
There are other recipes for different types of plates, some using alumina, others a slurry of silica gel and gypsum.
