Planar chromatography at the turn of the century

Reversible polarity-switch of thin-layer chromatography by photo-induction with multi-regulation in spatial dimension

Generally, thin-layer chromatography always undertakes the indispensable role in rapid screening and identification of specific compounds. Stationary phase is the core part of thin-layer chromatography with fixed property, which leading to the limitations of separation mode of only regulating the composition of mobile phase. This work was an attempt to fabricate the unique photosensitive thin-layer chromatography to make up the above major drawback. 4-[3-(Triethoxysilyl)propoxy]azobenzene (azo-PTES) was synthesized as photosensitive modifier to fabricate the photosensitive stationary phase, and the transformation of cis-trans structure of azo-PTES proceeds along with polarity difference under 365 nm and 473 nm irradiation. Based on this, the proposed photosensitive thin-layer chromatography shows the reversible switch of polarity of stationary phase by photoinduction, followed by the deserved reversible separation behavior. Furthermore, multi-regulation in spatial dimension was achieved based on the high freedom of spatial regulation of photoinduction, which brings about the integration of stationary phase with different polarity, just by photoinduction. The concept of photosensitive thin-layer chromatography provides new idea for improving separation efficiency and developing multi-dimensional thin-layer chromatography on the one plate.

Sample preparation for planar chromatography

High-performance thin-layer chromatography has favorable properties for high-throughput separations with a high matrix tolerance. Sample preparation, however, is sometimes required to control specific matrix interferences and to enhance the detectability of target compounds. Trends in contemporary applications have shifted from absorbance and fluorescence detection to methods employing bioassays and mass spectrometry. Traditional methods (shake-flask, heat at reflux, Soxhlet, and hydrodistillation) are being challenged by automated instrumental approaches (ultrasound-assisted and microwave-assisted solvent extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction) and the quick, easy cheap, efficient, rugged, and safe extraction method for faster and streamlined sample processing. Liquid-liquid extraction remains the most widely used approach for sample clean-up with increasing competition from solid-phase extraction. On-layer sample, clean-up by planar solid-phase extraction is increasingly used for complex samples and in combination with heart-cut multimodal systems. The automated spray-on sample applicator, the elution head interface, biological detection of target and non-target compounds, and straightforward mass spectrometric detection are highlighted as the main factors directing current interest toward faster and simpler sample workflows, analysis of more complex samples, and the determination of minor contaminants requiring high concentration factors.

Planar chromatography - Current practice and future prospects

Planar chromatography, in the form of thin-layer or high-performance thin-layer chromatography (TLC, HPTLC), continues to provide a robust and widely used separation technique. It is unrivaled as a simple and rapid qualitative method for mixture analysis, or for finding bioactive components in mixtures. The format of TLC/HPTLC also provides a unique method for preserving the separation, enabling further investigation of components of interest (including quantification/structure determination) separated in both time and space from the original analysis. The current practice of planar chromatography and areas of development of the technology are reviewed and promising future directions in the use of TLC/HPTLC are outlined.

Performance of Electropun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibrous Phases, Shown for the Separation of Water-Soluble Food Dyes via UTLC-Vis-ESI-MS

Research in the miniaturization of planar chromatography led to various approaches in manufacturing ultrathin-layer chromatography (UTLC) layers of reduced thickness (<50 µm) along with smaller instrumentation, as targeted in Office Chromatography. This novel concept merges 3D print & media technologies with miniaturized planar chromatography to realize an all-in-one instrument, in which all steps of UTLC are automated and integrated in the same tiny device. In this context, the development of electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber phases was investigated as well as its performance. A nanofibrous stationary phase with fiber diameters of 150–225 nm and a thickness of ca. 25 µm was manufactured. Mixtures of water-soluble food dyes were printed on it using a modified office printer, and successfully separated to illustrate the capabilities of such UTLC media. The separation took 8 min for 30 mm and was faster (up to a factor of 2) than on particulate layers. The mean hR_F values ranging from 25 to 90 for the five food dyes were well spread over the migration distance, with an overall reproducibility of 7% (mean %RSD over 5 different plates for 5 dyes). The individual mean plate numbers over 5 plates ranged between 8286 and 22,885 (mean of 11,722 over all 5 dyes). The single mean resolutions R_S were between 1.7 and 6.5 (for the 5 food dyes over 5 plates), with highly satisfying reproducibilities (0.3 as mean deviation of R_S). Using videodensitometry, different amounts separated in parallel led to reliable linear calibrations for each dye (sdv of 3.1–9.1% for peak heights and 2.4–9.3% for peak areas). Coupling to mass spectrometry via an elution head-based interface was successfully demonstrated for such ultrathin layers, showing several advantages such as a reduced cleaning process and a minimum zone distance. All these results underline the potential of electrospun nanofibrous phases to succeed as affordable stationary phase for quantitative UTLC.

An image analysis of TLC patterns for quality control of saffron based on soil salinity effect: A strategy for data (pre)-processing

Quality of saffron, a valuable food additive, could considerably affect the consumers' health. In this work, a novel preprocessing strategy for image analysis of saffron thin layer chromatographic (TLC) patterns was introduced. This includes performing a series of image pre-processing techniques on TLC images such as compression, inversion, elimination of general baseline (using asymmetric least squares (AsLS)), removing spots shift and concavity (by correlation optimization warping (COW)), and finally conversion to RGB chromatograms. Subsequently, an unsupervised multivariate data analysis including principal component analysis (PCA) and k-means clustering was utilized to investigate the soil salinity effect, as a cultivation parameter, on saffron TLC patterns. This method was used as a rapid and simple technique to obtain the chemical fingerprints of saffron TLC images. Finally, the separated TLC spots were chemically identified using high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Accordingly, the saffron quality from different areas of Iran was evaluated and classified.

Centrifugal-driven, reduced-dimension, planar chromatography

A fundamental problem with efficiency in capillary action driven planar chromatography results from diminishing flow rates as development proceeds, giving rise to molecular diffusion related band dispersion for most sample types. Overpressure and electrokinetic means to speed flow have been used successfully in TLC. We explore the use of centrifugal force (CF) to drive flow for reduced-dimension planar platforms (ultra-TLC, low micrometer features, and nano-TLC, nanoscale features). The silicon wafer platforms have two forms of continuous 2D arrays created by either photolithography or metal dewetting followed by deep reactive ion etching and coated with porous SiO₂ . The flow pattern is unusual with co-planar flows above and within the arrays. The effects of parameters such as spin rate, solvent type, and surface character on flow rates is established and can be substantially greater than capillary action flow. Using fluorescent dyes, we investigate retardation factors and chromatographic plate height; the latter falls in the low to sub-micrometer range. To the best of our knowledge, we demonstrate the first analytical separations performed in pillar arrays using CF to augment solvent flow.

Coupling of In Vitro Bioassays with Planar Chromatography in Effect-Directed Analysis

Modern analytical test methods increasingly detect anthropogenic organic substances and their transformation products in water samples and in the environment. The presence of these compounds might pose a risk to the aquatic environment. To determine a possible (eco)toxicological risk, aquatic samples are tested using various bioassays, including sub-organismic assays such as the luminescent bacteria inhibition test, the acetylcholinesterase inhibition test, and the umu-test. The effect-directed analysis (EDA) combines physicochemical separation methods with biological (in vitro) tests. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) has proved to be particularly well suited for the separation of organic compounds and the subsequent analysis of effects by the application of the biotests directly on the surface of the HPTLC plate. The advantage of using HPTLC in comparison to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for EDA is that the solvent which is used as a mobile phase during chromatography is completely evaporated after the separation and therefore can no longer influence the applied bioassays.A prioritization during the complex identification process can be achieved when observed effects are associated with the separated zones in HPTLC. This increases the probability of identifying the substance responsible for an adverse effect from the multitude of organic trace substances in environmental samples. Furthermore, by comparing the pattern of biological effects of a separated sample, it is possible to track and assess changes in biological activity over time, over space, or in the course of a process, even without identifying the substance. HPTLC has already been coupled with various bioassays.Because HPTLC is a very flexible system, various detection techniques can be used and combined. In addition to the UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence measurements, TLC can also be coupled with a mass spectrometer (MS) for compound identification. In addition, detection of functional groups by means of derivatization reagents can support this identification. It is also possible to combine derivatization and HPLC-MS.Two case studies are used to illustrate the significance of HPTLC-EDA in investigating water quality: Study on a wastewater treatment plant Possible influence of an artificial turf surface on ground water.

Detection progress of selected drugs in TLC

This entry describes applications of known indicators and dyes as new visualizing reagents and various visualizing systems as well as photocatalytic reactions and bioautography method for the detection of bioactive compounds including drugs and compounds isolated from herbal extracts. Broadening index, detection index, characteristics of densitometric band, modified contrast index, limit of detection, densitometric visualizing index, and linearity range of detected compounds were used for the evaluation of visualizing effects of applied visualizing reagents. It was shown that visualizing effect depends on the chemical structure of the visualizing reagent, the structure of the substance detected, and the chromatographic adsorbent applied. The usefulness of densitometry to direct detection of some drugs was also shown. Quoted papers indicate the detection progress of selected drugs investigated by thin-layer chromatography (TLC).

Lipid analysis by thin-layer chromatography--a review of the current state

High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) is a widely used, fast and relatively inexpensive method of separating complex mixtures. It is particularly useful for smaller, apolar compounds and offers some advantages over HPLC. This review gives an overview about the special features as well as the problems that have to be considered upon the HPTLC analysis of lipids. The term "lipids" is used here in a broad sense and comprises fatty acids and their derivatives as well as substances related biosynthetically or functionally to these compounds. After a short introduction regarding the stationary phases and the methods how lipids can be visualized on an HPTLC plate, the individual lipid classes will be discussed and the most suitable solvent systems for their separation indicated. The focus will be on lipids that are most abundant in biological systems, i.e. cholesterol and its derivates, glycerides, sphingo- and glycolipids as well as phospholipids. Finally, a nowadays very important topic, the combination between HPTLC and mass spectrometric (MS) detection methods will be discussed. It will be shown that this is a very powerful method to investigate the identities of the HPTLC spots in more detail than by the use of common staining methods. Future aspects of HPTLC in the lipid field will be also discussed.

Monolithic superhydrophobic polymer layer with photopatterned virtual channel for the separation of peptides using two-dimensional thin layer chromatography-desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Superhydrophobic monolithic porous polymer layers with a photopatterned hydrophilic channel have been prepared. These layers were used for two-dimensional thin layer chromatography of peptides. The 50 microm thin poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) layers supported onto 4.0 x 3.3 cm glass plates were prepared using UV-initiated polymerization in a simple glass mold. Photografting of a mixture of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate carried out through a mask afforded a 600 microm wide virtual channel along one side of the layer. This channel, which contains ionizable functionalities, enabled the first dimension separation in ion exchange mode. The aqueous mobile phase migrates only through the channel due to the large difference in surface tension at the interface of the hydrophilic channel and the superhydrophobic monolith. The unmodified part of the layer featuring hydrophobic chemistry was then used for the reversed phase separation in the orthogonal second dimension. Practical application of our technique was demonstrated with a rapid 2D separation of a mixture of model peptides differing in hydrophobicity and isoelectric point using a combination of ion-exchange and reversed phase modes. In the former mode, the peptides migrated 11 mm in less than 1 min. Detection of fluorescently labeled peptides was achieved through UV light visualization. Separation of the native peptides was monitored directly using a desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) source coupled to a mass spectrometer. Unidirectional surface scanning with the DESI source was found suitable to determine both the location of each separated peptide and its molecular mass.

Quantitative determination of some food dyes using digital processing of images obtained by thin-layer chromatography

A high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method combined with image processing of scanned chromatograms was developed for the determination of some food dyes (tartrazine, azorubine and Sunset Yellow) in different products. Porous silica gel with 3-aminopropyl functional groups attached to the matrix was used as stationary phase and a mixture of isopropanol, diethyl ether and ammonia (2:2:1, v/v/v) formed the mobile phase. Quantitative evaluation was performed using special-purpose software. The linearity of the analytical procedure was sustained by the numerical parameters such as correlation coefficient (0.9952-0.9980) and standard error of determination (0.03-0.20). The limits of detection were found to be within the range of 5.21-9.34 ng/spot, and the limits of quantification between 10.21 and 18.09 ng/spot. Recovery studies performed on two levels of concentration gave values between 96.39 and 102.76%. These results show that the regression approach provides rigorous and realistic detection and quantification limits and as a consequence can be routinely applied to other analytical systems. This method does not require expensive analytical instruments compared with classical densitometry and provides a reliable quantitative evaluation with minimum of time.

Evaluation of quantitative thin layer chromatography using staining reagents

Thin layer chromatography (TLC) using staining reagents is a superior method for analyzing organic compounds without chromophores. It is fast, versatile and sometimes the only viable method. We have investigated quantitative TLC using staining reagents, in combination with modern image analysis software. Our results show that it is possible to get reliable measurements, suitable for high-throughput screening or physical organic investigations. The range of detection and the errors for the different parts of the process are illustrated. We show that the errors are largely due to the staining process and can be diminished by measuring ratios of compounds.

Smart thin layer chromatography plate

We present an innovative thin layer chromatography plate, which integrates a linear array of amorphous silicon photodiodes for real-time qualitative and quantitative chromatographic analysis.

Phosphopeptide analysis by directly coupling two-dimensional planar electrochromatography/thin-layer chromatography with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A novel strategy is presented for the fractionation of complex peptide mixtures using two-dimensional planar electrochromatography/thin-layer chromatography (2D PEC/TLC). Phosphopeptides migrate more slowly in the first dimension, based upon their anionic phosphate residues, and certain predominantly acidic phosphopeptides even migrate in the opposite direction, relative to the bulk of the peptides. Phosphopeptides are further distinguished based upon hydrophilicity in the second dimension. This permits a restricted region of the plate to be directly interrogated for the presence of phosphopeptides by mass spectrometry (MS). Phosphopeptide analysis from the plates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF)-MS and tandem MS enabled peptide sequencing and identification.

Real-time image acquisition for absorbance detection and quantification in thin-layer chromatography

This paper presents the first quantitative study of real-time acquisition of images of spots on thin-layer chromatographic plates during development. Procedures are described for imaging using a CCD camera and for image processing, incorporating corrections for fixed pattern effects and compensation for the moving solvent front, to measure the absorbance of the analyte. Imaging of Sudan II was carried out in transmission mode, and peak areas were found to be time-independent. Quantification of the relationship between peak area and sample loading was established over the range 1-50 ng. After averaging 55 images obtained during a single chromatographic run, which attenuates noise contributions from local nonuniformities in the sorbent layer, precision and detection limits were found to be comparable with values obtained in previous work using offline measurements.

Thin-layer chromatography/desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: investigation of goldenseal alkaloids

Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was investigated as a means to qualitatively identify and to quantify analytes directly from developed normal-phase thin-layer chromatography plates. The atmospheric sampling capillary of a commercial ion trap mass spectrometer was extended to permit sampling and ionization of analytes in bands separated on intact TLC plates (up to 10 cmx10 cm). A surface positioning software package and the appropriate hardware enabled computer-controlled surface scanning along the length of development lanes or at fixed Rf value across the plates versus the stationary desorption electrospray emitter. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) and related alkaloids and commercial dietary supplements were used as standards and samples. Alkaloid standards and samples were spotted and separated on aluminum- or glass-backed plates using established literature methods. The mass spectral signal levels as a function of desorption spray solvent were investigated with acetonitrile proving superior to methanol. The detection levels (approximately 5 ng each or 14-28 pmol) in mass spectral full-scan mode were determined statistically from the calibration curves (2.5-100 pmol) for the standards berberine, palmatine, and hydrastinine spotted as a mixture and separated on the plates. Qualitative screening of the major alkaloids present in six different over-the-counter "goldenseal" dietary supplements was accomplished by obtaining full-scan mass spectra during surface scans along the development lane in the direction of increasing Rf value. In one sample, alkaloids were detected that strongly suggested the presence of at least one additional herb undeclared on the product label. These same data indicated the misidentification of one of the alkaloids in the TLC literature. Quantities of the alkaloids present in two of the samples determined using the mass spectral data were in reasonable agreement with the label values, indicating the quantitative ability of the method. The advantage of mass spectral measurements in identifying and quantifying materials within overlapping bands and in providing positive identification for even minor species in a mixture was also demonstrated.

Densitometric thin-layer chromatographic determination of aescin in a herbal medicinal product containing Aesculus and Vitis dry extracts

A thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) method is developed to analyze the total saponin content, also referred to as the aescin content, in a herbal medicinal product (HMP) containing two dry extracts in capsules. The capsules contain 250 mg of Aesculus hippocastanum dry extract, 120 mg of Vitis vinifera dry extract and 50mg of excipients. After a purification step using C(18) solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges, the samples are analyzed on a silica-gel HPTLC plate with the upper layer of a mixture of acetic acid/water/butanol (10/40/50 v/v/v) as the mobile phase. Spots are visualized by spraying with anisaldehyde reagent and heating the plate for 5-10 min (100-105 degrees C) and measured at a wavelength of 535 nm. This method, applicable for the quality control and stability investigation of both the Aesculus dry extract and HMP capsules thereof containing Vitis dry extract in combination with the Aesculus dry extract, is validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The proposed assay method is specific for aescin in the presence of Vitis dry extract and formulation excipients. Analysis of stressed samples in forced degradation tests proves the method to be applicable for stability evaluation. The standard aescin curve is linear (r > 0.99) over a concentration range of 0.16-0.80 microg/spot. Recovery from the HMP capsules is statistically equal to 100%. The precision of the method with respect to time and concentration is acceptable, with relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 1.28 and 1.49%, respectively.