Category Archives: Scientist

Thoughts on thin layer chromatography from Associate Professor Barney Grubbs

While we were at the ACS Fall Meeting, we got to meet Barney Grubbsseveral great people who use chromatography on a regular basis.

Barney Grubbs is Associate Professor of Chemistry at Stony Brook State University of New York and Scientist with the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Barney says his research group is interested in the common ground shared by polymer, organic, and materials chemistry and they are involved in the design, synthesis, and characterization of polymer-based organic materials.

Barney spent a few minutes with us talking about how he and his students use Thin Layer Chromatography in their work.

Chromatography used for testing Swine Flu

UPDATE: Article from TheScientist.com – Can biotech tackle swine flu? – click here to read

For decades, scientists have been using Thin Layer Chromatography, HPLC, gas, and other forms of chromatography to study swine influenza.

Scientists working on swine fluHere is just one example. In October of 1985, a team from the Department of Neurology at The Medical University of South Carolina published “Lipid content of swine influenza and other vaccines” – here’s a couple of excerpts:

ABSTRACT: An analysis of the lipids in swine influenza vaccines was performed, comparing six different lots of swine influenza, other influenza and noninfluenza vaccines.
Cholesterol content and phospholipid content varied greatly, but there were no major differences between the types of vaccines. Appreciable amounts of phosphatidylethanolamine were found in only one swine influenza vaccine. The major phospholipids of influenza vaccines were phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and phosphatidic acid. A detectable amount of phosphatidylserine was not found in any swine influenza vaccine, but was present in two of three nonswine influenza vaccines. Only two of six swine influenza vaccines showed trace amounts of ganglioside. However, larger quantities of galactocerebroside were found in all
influenza vaccines examined, including swine influenza vaccines.

…

Neutral lipids were separated on silica gel thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates developed in light petroleum ether/diethyl ether (96:4, v/v) and visualized by exposure to iodine vapors.
Phospholipids were separated by two-dimensional TLC using high performance TLC (HPTLC) plates. After application, samples were chromatographed in C/M/concentrated ammonia (65:35:5, v/v/v) to the top of the plate plus an additional 10 min. HPTLC plates were air-dried and held in vacuo overnight over P205 to reactivate the silica gel. Chromatography in the second direction was performed in chloroform/acetone/methanol/acetic acid/water (5:2:1:1:0.5, v/v/v/v/v). After being air-dried, phospholipids were visualized by exposure to iodine vapors, matched to standards and marked. After sublimation of I2, marked areas were carefully scraped from the glass backing, charred and assayed for liberated phosphate by the method of Ames {27}. Prior to TLC, aliquots were withdrawn and assayed in the same manner for total phospholipid determination.

 Click Here to Access the complete paper.

Click Here to learn more about high quality Thin Layer Chromatography plates and accessories.

Separation of Lipids via Thin Layer Chromatography

This post comes to us from “Biochem write up”

Intro:
The aim of this practical is to carry out TLC in which the substances we wish to separate are absorbed onto the thin layer. Lipids are determined by isolation and the ability to purify the substance. Due to the way the substances interact with the matrix in different ways we are able to seperate them. Substances which interact strongly with the matrix but not with the solvent will move very slowly and those soluble in the solvent will dissolve easily and be carried along the solvent.
thin layer chromatography phospholipids
Egg yolk contains trioleine, cholesterol palmitate and phosphatidylethonolamine, The most polar of the three elements is the second element. It hardly moves up the TLC because of the presence of several polar groups; phosphate groups, amine groups and several oxygens , and cholesterol palmitate being the most non polar.

 

Free Book: “Interfacial Phenomena in Chromatography”

Our friends at “Scientist-At-Work” are offering the book “Interfacial Phenomena in Chromatography” as a free download!

“Interfacial Phenomena in Chromatography Interfacial Phenomena in Chromatography presents a combination of chromatographic theory, numerical simulation and experimental data. The text covers the interaction and size exclusion methods of separation, identification and characterization of substances in solution. It provides practical information and analysis on the most effective mechanisms of interfacial chromatography, along with its expanding possibilities for biomedical, industrial and environmental applications.

Click Here to visit Scientist-At-Work and get the free download.