Planar Chromatography:

So far you have studied about the general principles of chromatography where theoretical principles including resolution and plate concept were dealt. You now know that chromatography is now a very powerful separation technique used not only for the separation of complex mixtures but it is also used for quantification of each constituent. You have also learnt about classification of various chromatographic techniques which include a wide range of affinity chromatography, zone electrophoresis, ion-exchange chromatography, size exclusion chromatography, gel filtration, electro chromatography, etc.

In this unit, you will learn about planar chromatography, which includes paper chromatography (PC), thin layer chromatography (TLC) and electro chromatography (EC). Each of these techniques make use of a stationary phase in the form of a sheet or flat surface of a paper or any other material such as metal, glass or plastic plate coated with suitable adsorbent with the help of a binder. The mobile phase moves through the stationary phase through capillary action, assisted through gravity or an electrical potential. Here, we shall discuss only two methods that is PC and TLC and a comparative study of their principles, methodology and applications will be undertaken.