Giving preparative thin layer chromatography some tender loving care

Preparative thin layer chromatography (prepTLC) is a commonly used method of purification suitable for small scale reactions. However, descriptions of the preferred methodology to load, run, and recover samples from prepTLC are non-standard and varied, making it part of the “hidden curriculum” of laboratory technique. In this article we report on the simple, cost-effective methods we use to load and collect samples from a plate, which enhance the convenience, speed, and precision of this technique.