REVERSED-PHASE TLC OF INORGANIC-IONS ON SILICA IMPREGNATED WITH A HIGH-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT AMINE, USING SULFURIC-ACID AND SULFURIC-ACID AMMONIUM-SULFATE MOBILE PHASES

The thin layer chromatographic (TLC) behavior of 49 inorganic ions has been studied systematically on silica gel impregnated with a high mol ecular weight amine, Amberlite LA-2, using sulfuric acid and sulfuric acid - ammonium sulfate mixtures as mobile phases. The behavior on the impregnated layers was also compared with that on unimpregnated silic a using the same mobile phases. For most of the ions the R(F) values o n the LA-2 layer increased as the concentration of acid or sulfate in the mobile phase was increased. The ions were not, however, significan tly retained by unimpregnated silica gel, irrespective of the mobile p hase employed. Barium(II), palladium(II), gold(III), antimony(III), ha fnium(IV), platinum(IV), tin(IV), zirconium(IV), molybdenum(VI), tungs ten(VI), and rhenium(VII) were strongly retained on the LA-2. Irrespec tive of the acid concentration tested, the R, values of silver(I), man ganese(II), and germanium(IV), 0.1, 0.7 and 0.2, respectively, were si milar on both LA-2-impregnated and untreated silica. The characteristi c retention of many ions which form anionic sulfato complexes were obs erved in both systems. Multicomponent mixtures of many ions of analyti cal interest are separated successfully on the LA- 2 layers developed with acid - sulfate mobile phases.