Use of Aqueous Micellar Mobile Phases in Reverse Phase TLC

Abstract

Aqueous micellar solutions can be used in reverse phase TLC providing the ionic strength of the solution is sufficiently high to prevent the destruction of the stationary phase. Stability curves have been determined for sodium dodecyl sulfate and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride containing aqueous mobile phases. These “pseudophase” solutions allow the unique separation of hydrophobic from hydrophilic compounds. Indeed one can estimate the relative hydrophobicity of a compound by observing its chromatographic behavior in this system.