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Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) is a part of solid-liquid adsorption chromatography, which is a kind of micro scale, fast and simple chromatography developed in recent years and possessed of both column chromatography and paper chromatography’s advantages.

Aluminum backed TLC plates reverse phase C-18 TLC plates.

Because of a thicker aluminum support (about 0.15 mm thick) they are much more stable and easier to cut than glass or plastic backed TLC plates.  Even a 20 x 20 cm Aluminum backed TLC plate has a torsional strength that is almost as good as a glass plate.  The aluminum backed TLC layer features an outstanding adherence, which allows cutting of the sheets to any size desired without disturbing the sorbent layer.  A support of plain aluminum foil is coated using the same time-tested binder system as for our TLC glass plates.  For eluents containing high concentrations of water we recommend our pre-coated Aluminum TLC plates.

Glass backed reverse phase C-18 TLC plates.

The support used most often in TLC is the glass plate due to its chemical resistance and the ease of handling the plate.

Plastic backed TLC plates.

Polyester sheets (about 0.2 mm thick) have several advantages: its resistant towards all common solvents need less packing and less shelf space for storage. The plastic backed TLC plates can be easily cut with scissors into any required size, and the spots can be cut and eluted.  Charring techniques can be applied for silica coated plastic TLC plates.  The charring has to be done at lower temperatures than on glass. The maximum temperature for plastic TLC plates is 160 °C.

Glass backed TLC Plates.

The support used most often in TLC is the glass plate due to its chemical resistance and the ease of handling the plate.