Australia's Science Forum

Hello Labbies

I'm attempting thin layer chromatography for the first time. I have made a slurry of 1g silica and 4 g plaster of paris and coated some microscope slides.
I'm really not having much luck when I put it in the solvent, the synthetic indicator I'm supposed to use travels the entire length of the slide and doesn't separate as its supposed to. Has anyone down this prac or know where I'm going wrong. I'm going nuts .

I have never done this prac but maybe the microscope slide is not long enough for separation to occur Rf value??

Try using Aluminium electrodes instead of microscope slides