TLC separation of some biologically important amino acids on pyridinium tungstoarsenate impregnated layers

Summary A satisfactory TLC separation scheme for 15 important amino acids on silica gel layers impregnated with pyridinium tungstoarsenate using isoamyl alcohol-wateracetic acid (605030) as the solvent system has been worked out. It is found that the Martin relationship is obeyed by similarly constituted amino acids. A plot of R_M vs the concentration of pyridinium ion released shows a scatter suggesting that, besides exchange properties, other factors also strongly influence the movement of amino acids.