Some practical aspects of thin-layer chromatography of lipids

This report describes methods for the thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of lipids and some practical aspects of the methods. In order to present some basis for choosing the correct powder for particular separations, some properties of several widely used silica gel powders are compared. The effect of binder material such as calcium sulfate in silica gel is studied. The three systems, silica gel as a polar phase, silver nitrate-impregnated silica gel, and reversed phase systems are described with application to neutral lipids. Also included are the applications of TLC to the polar lipids, such as phospholipids, cerebrosides, sulfatides, sphingomyelin and other glycolipids from various sources. The pitfalls and precautions involved in these separations are discussed in detail.