Study of natural substances

Thin layer chromatography (TLC) has established itself as one of the basic techniques for researching natural substances, thanks to its ease of use and its ability to separate and analyze the complex mixtures that make up crude extracts of natural origin.

It enables several dozen samples to be compared rapidly and simultaneously, under inexpensive conditions, and with great flexibility compared with other techniques commonly used in the natural products field (high-pressure liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, centrifugal partition chromatography, etc.).

Currently, in the intensive screening environment aimed at discovering new natural molecules with biological activities, TLC is used either as a systematic primary screening tool (chemical screening), or as a follow-up method for fractionation of crude extracts initially selected for...