Two-dimensional chromatography:
You have learnt about planar or two-dimensional chromatography which includes paper chromatography and thin layer chromatography. The main parameter in both the cases is retardation factor, Rf , which is described as the associative movement of the solute components to that of the solvent phase. In both the cases, the details of mobile phase, stationary phase, detection methods and some typical applications are discussed. The plate concept has been adapted to TLC so that the separation process can be better understood. Modern developments in TLC include development of high performance TLC. A comparison of paper chromatography and thin layer chromatography is presented. Though both the techniques are primarily used for qualitative identification of inorganic and organic compounds but TLC is now being widely used for quantitative analysis.