PLANAR CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED WITH SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNIQUES

Recent progress in the combination of planar, or thin-layer chromatogr aphy (TLC) with a variety of modern spectroscopic techniques is review ed. The utility of TLC for separation followed by mass spectrometry, w ith a variety of ionisation techniques; is illustrated with reference to a wide range of compound types including drugs, natural products, i ndustrial chemicals, pesticides and dyes. Applications of the use of T LC in combination with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), near infrared spectroscopy and FTIR photoacoustic spectroscopy are di scussed, together with the use of TLC with Raman spectroscopy. The use of conventional fluorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence line narro wing spectroscopy as an aid to compound identification is described. L astly the coupling of TLC with other chromatographic techniques follow ed by spectroscopic evaluation is briefly considered.