How to prepare TLC plates using chloroform?
Prepare the plates or develop the plates? To prepare the plates you make a slurry of the stationary phase in chloroform (CHCl3 has a high density and fast evaporation rate, making this job easier). The glass (some use a special plastic like Mylar) plates are arranged with sides touching and the slurry is poured onto the plates. Depending upon how thick the slurry is, the plates can be tilted or shaken to spread the slurry evenly over the glass or plastic. Since chloroform is toxic, these processes should be done in a vented hood. The plates are then allowed to air dry. To develop a TLC plate with chloroform, the plate (with dry spotted samples) is placed into an equilibrated sealed jar containing a small amount of chloroform. The level of the liquid should not be over the height of the sample spots. The CHCl3 is allowed to move up the plate by capillary action (perhaps about 10 cm or so) and the solvent front is marked with a pencil. The Rf values are then calculated.
