SO I am in the middle of prepparing a lab for one of the sections I TA and it involves TLC-Thin Layer Chromatography, so it got me thinking. If we regulated the type of paper (I think cellulose would be the easiest for everyone to get). Then regulated the mixture say 70%-Hexane 30% ethyl acetate. (Again I feel like this would be quite easy to get ahold of) We could come up with a Rf factor that is reproducable at home. Now this would NOT be the easiest test but for people who are really worried, perhaps this could work?
Now several tests would have to be ran, along with the fact that the known solution, would HAVE to be testosterone, so the Rf is accurate.
But I would like some opinions on this, the test really is quite easy… Bill Roberts Id especially like to hear your opinion
I just realized i left some stuff out, a standard size for the cellulose would have to be created, along with a set measure for the spot of compound. A time standard would be set as well
I’m not sure how you would visibly identify the point that they compound traveled to.
Doing on a silica TLC plate and having a UV light would work if the oil carrier does not mess things up, which depends on whether it’s miscible with the hexane/ethyl acetate mixture or not (I don’t know – I would tend to guess not with straight ethyl acetate as vegetable oil is not miscible with acetone, which is similar, but don’t know about hexane vs vegetable oil or whether, if those are miscible, that would still be so despite the ethyl acetate.)
Not saying that it can’t work on the cellulose but I lack knowledge as to how you’d see the spot.
You don’t need to have a standard size for the cellulose or TLC plate: you measure the distance the spot traveled from the starting point versus the distance the solvent front traveled, divide, and that is your Rf.
You also wouldn’t need an Rf value for testosterone itself, unless wanting to test testosterone suspension. Any ester you were wanting to test, you’d need to have a reference value for as they all will be different.
Damn I completely forgot about seeing the compound… Maybe they could do it in a tanning bed? lol
I am pretty sure the hexane would be sufficient, even with the ethyl acetate.
Yes very good point about the esters I also didnt think about that…
I just figured if a fairly simple process was developed so people could test their gear, less people would inject bunk/ possibly dangerous compounds into their body…
Pet shops sell a UV light for detecting pet urine stains.
On a silica TLC plate designed for the purpose, this should work fine I think. I’ve used only UV lights sold for the purpose of viewing TLC plates, but I see no reason the pet-urine light would not work.
Hexane alone might well not work.
To get a useable result from TLC, the spot must travel a reasonable, moderate percentage of the distance that the solvent front travels. This is controlled by solvent polarity: more hexane makes it less polar; mote ethyl acetate, more polar.
If the spot barely travels or travels almost all the way, it’s impossible or too hard to tell if it travelled the amount it should have.