Preparation of TLC plate- A silica slurry is prepared in water and spread on the glass or alumina sheet as a thin layer and allowed to dry. It is baked at 1100C for 1hr in a hot air oven and then the plate is ready for TLC. The layer is thin (~ 0.1-0.25 mm) for analytical application and thick (0.4-2.1 mm) for preparative or bio-assay purposes.
Figure 34.2: Thin Layer chromatography chamber
Spoting: The events involved in spotting is given in Figure 34.3. A line is draw with a pencil little away from the bottom. Sample is taken into the capillary tube or in a pipette. Capillary is touched onto the silica plate and sample is allowed to dispense. It is important that depending on the thickness of the layer, a suitable volume should be taken to apply. Spot is allowed to dry in air or a hair dryer can be used instead.