Question

Give two advantages of thin layer chromatography over paper chromatography.

Answer 1

Paper chromatography is a traditional technique that is utilized for the identification  as well as the segregation of the small chemical substances with the help of moving solvent or on sheets or the strips of filter paper.

Thin layer chromatography is an technique which is utilized for the identification and the segregation of the chemical substances, from the mixture of components, by using finely divided adsorbent solid which is spread over a glass plate (stationery) and liquid as the mobile phase.

Advantages of TLC over paper chromatography:

The first advantage of Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is that it is less time consuming as compared to the paper chromatography. For instance TLC requires around 15-45 minutes while paper chromatography takes around 2-3 hours.

The TLC plates which are used can be heated in an oven for a long time whereas paper cannot be heated in an oven for a longer period of time.

TLC can be evaluated under the ultra violet region but paper chromatography cannot be evaluated under the ultra violet region.

The sensitivity of detection of the TLC technique is very high as the spots are less diffused with each other, while in the case of paper chromatography, the sensitivity is less as spots are more diffused.