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Planta Med 2009; 75(7): 711-718
DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1088389
Plant Analysis
Mini-Review
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Plant Analysis 2008 – Planar Chromatography

Eike Reich1 , Valeria Widmer1
  • 1CAMAG Laboratory, Muttenz, Switzerland
Further Information

Publication History

Received: August 5, 2008 Revised: September 26, 2008

Accepted: October 3, 2008

Publication Date:
19 December 2008 (online)

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Abstract

For 70 years, planar chromatography has been closely connected with the analysis of plants. Also today in its most advanced form ”high performance thin-layer chromatography” (HPTLC), the technique plays an important role in identification of medicinal plants and dietary supplements. Detection of adulteration and quantitative determination of marker substances are other widely used applications. The advancement of instrumentation and methodological concepts has created a basis for reliable qualitative and quantitative results in HPTLC. Remarkable progress has been made in the manageability of the entire planar chromatographic process, particularly in the control of chromatogram development and the utilization of images to obtain and compare information about separated samples. Integration of biological detection systems as well as hyphenation to mass spectrometry has widened the applicability of planar chromatography as an analytical technique that is both orthogonal and complementary to HPLC.

Key words

high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) - planar chromatography - plant analysis - identification - adulteration - quantitation - instrumentation

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Dr. Eike Reich

CAMAG Laboratory

Sonnenmattstrasse 11

4132 Muttenz

Switzerland

Phone: +41-61-467-3434

Fax: +41-61-461-0702

Email: eike.reich@camag.com