Biochemical Techniques and Instrumentation (1+2)

2.6.2. Absorbents

The common adsorbents used in TLC are silica, alumina, kieselguhr, celite, cellulose, starch and Sephadex. Table 2.6.2. gives the list of adsorbents used in TLC and their applications in the separation of different compounds.

Table 2.6.2. Adsorbents and their application

Adsorbent	Applications
Silica	Amino acids, alkaloids, sugars, fatty acids, lipids, essential oils, inorganic anions and cations, steroids, terpenoids.
Alumina	Alkaloids, food dyes, phenols, steroids, vitamins, carotenes, amino acids.
Kieselguhr	Sugars, oligosaccharides, dibasic acids, fatty acids, triglycerides, amino acids and steroids.
Celite	Steroids.
Cellulose powder	Amino acids, food dyes, alkaloids, nucleotides.
Ion exchange cellulose	Nucleotides.
Starch	Amino acids.
Sephadex	Amino acids, proteins.