APPLICATION OF TRINITROTOLUENE-CONTAINING POLYMER GEL TO THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY

Trinitrotoluene (TNT) was dispersed into crosslinked poly(vinyl alcoho l) (PVA) gel and application of the gel to thin layer chromatography w as investigated to separate structural isomers of aromatic compounds f rom each other. Toluic acids and nitrobenzoic acids and their sodium s alts were used as model substrates to be separated. Pure water was use d as developer. The thin layers were prepared from mixtures of TNT-con taining gel (TNT gel) with cellulose powder in various ratios. For com parison, PVA gel without the treatment with TNT (TNT-free gel) was als o examined. For toluic acid, the o-, m- and p-isomers showed just the same R(f) value on the thin layer prepared from cellulose powder alone and the spots were scarcely separated from each other with addition o f TNT-free gel to the thin layer. However, they were successfully sepa rated from each other on the thin layer prepared from mixture of TNT g el with cellulose powder. For nitrobenzoic acid, the o-isomer was sepa rated from the m- and p-isomers even with addition of TNT-free gel to cellulose powder and in addition to the separation of the o-isomer, th e m- and p-isomers were also separated each other on the TNT gel-conta ining thin layer. For sodium salts of the both acids, separation of th e isomers similar to the free acids were found on the thin layers cont aining TNT gel or TNT-free gel, although degrees of the separation wer e lower than those for the free acids.