Advantages of thin layer chromatography (TLC)

TLC is very simple to use and inexpensive. Undergraduates can be taught this technique and apply its similar principles to other chromatographic techniques. There are little materials needed for TLC (chamber, watch glass, capillary, plate, solvent, pencil, and UV-light). Therefore, once the best solvent is found, it can be applied to other techniques such as High performance liquid chromatography. More than 1 compound can be separated on a TLC plate as long as the mobile phase is preferred for each compound. The solvents for the TLC plate can be changed easily and it is possible to use several different solvents depending on your desired results. As stated earlier, TLC can be used to ensure purity of a compound. It is very easy to check the purity using a UV-light. Identification of most compounds can be done simply by checking Rf literature values. You can modify the chromatography conditions easily to increase the optimization for resolution of a specific component. Disadvantages of Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)

TLC plates do not have long stationary phases. Therefore, the length of separation is limited compared to other chromatographic techniques. Also, the detection limit is a lot higher. If you would need a lower detection limit, one would have to use other chromatographic techniques. TLC operates as an open system, so factors such as humidity and temperature can be consequences to the results of your chromatogram. Advantages of Paper Chromatography

Paper chromatography, in analytical chemistry, technique for separating dissolved chemical substances by taking advantage of their different rates of migration across sheets of paper. It is an inexpensive but powerful analytical tool that requires very small quantities of material. They are used in many scientific studies to identify unknown organic and inorganic compounds. They are also used in crime scene investigation, DNA and RNA sequencing, among others. Essentially, any solution can be separated through some form of chromatography.

Disadvantages of paper chromatography
These are some disadvantages of using paper chromatography: It can be used as a preparative technique because we can’t apply a large sample quantity. It can’t be used in quantitative analysis and doesn’t allow the separation of complex mixtures.

References

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/441999/paper-chromatography http://www.3n1-combinescience.blogspot.com/