Chinese J. Mod. Drug Appl. 8 (5), 3-4 (2014). Danshen Wuweizi Pian tablet is a herbal TCM preparation for the treatment of coronary heart disease, acute and chronic persistent hepatitis and neurasthenia. For quality control, TLC (1) for Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. and the standard tanshinone IIA, on silica gel with toluene – ethyl acetate 19:1, detection in daylight; (2) for Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., on silica gel with petroleum ether (30-60 °C) – ethyl formate – formic acid 15:5:1, detection under UV 254 nm.

Chinese J. of Inform. on TCM 21 (5), 95-97 (2014). Lianqiao Baidu Wan pill is a standard herbal TCM issued by the Ministry of Health, for treating swelling and pain, rheumatism, itching, constipation etc. For quality control, TLC on silica gel (1) for Ephedra sinica, with dichloromethane – methanol – ammonium hydroxide 20:7:1, detection by spraying with 0.1 % ninhydrin in acetone and heating at 105 ºC until the zones are clearly visualized, evaluation under white light; (2) for Radix sophorae flavescentis, with toluene – acetone – ethyl acetate – ammonium hydroxide 10:15:20:1, detection by spraying with 5 % potassium bismuthate solution and viewing under white light; (3) for Radix paeoniae rubra, with chloroform – ethyl acetate – methanol – formic acid 125:25:50:1, detection by spraying with 5 % vanillin in sulfuric acid – ethanol 1:4 and heating mildly until the zones are clearly visualized, viewing under white light.

Food Chem. 239, 831-839 (2018). HPTLC of saffron on silica gel with 1-butanol – acetic acid – water 4:1:1. Qualitative identification at UV 254 nm. The hRf values of the nine detected zones (crocins and picrocrocin derivatives) were 19, 29, 43, 56, 63, 67, 80, 85, and 96. Captured images were imported to the MATLAB program for pattern recognition and discrimination between different saffron samples on the basis of their soil electro-conductivity values as indicator of soil salinity. The data pre-processing included elimination of chromatographic artifacts such as baseline drifts and spot misalignment.

CBS 118, 9-12 (2017). Comparison of TLC and HPTLC methods for (1) an aqueous-ethanolic extract of kidney vetch, (2) suppositories containing caraway extract, aqueously fermented root extracts of (3) barberry and (4) Solomon’s seal, and standards quinine hydrochloride, hyperoside, caffeic acid, rutin, fructose, caffeic acid, and noscapine hydrochloride. HPTLC on silica gel for (1) with chloroform – methanol – water 14:6:1, (2) with ethyl acetate – anhydrous formic acid – water 21:2:2, (3) with ethyl acetate – anhydrous formic acid – water 8:1:1 and (4) with chloroform – methanol – water 25:21:4. Detection by spraying with a (1) solution of 20 % antimony(III) chloride in chloroform and heating at 105 °C for 30 min, (2) 1 % methanolic solution of diphenylborinic acid 2-aminoethyl ester (natural products reagent), followed by a 5 % methanolic polyethylene glycol (macrogol) 400 solution and detection at UV 366 nm after 30 min, (3) bismuthate reagent (mixture of 0.85 g alkaline bismuth nitrate, 40 mL water, 10 mL acetic acid, and 20 mL potassium iodide solution (400 g/L), glacial acetic acid and water, 1:2:10), and (4) 1:1 mixture of 5 % sulfuric acid in ethanol and 2 % vanillin in ethanol and heating for 15 min at 105 °C. Compared to TLC, by HPTLC developing times were decreased, the separation power was higher and zones were sharper.

J.Chromatogr. 298

Abstracts of 1985 Beijing Conference and Exhibition on Instrumental Analysis, 533 ( 85). Review of the analysis of traditional Chinese medicine in such preparation forms as tablets, pills, powder and syrup by TLC-densitometry. TLC-densitometry found suitable for quality control of Chinese medicine.

Determination by densitometry at 350 nm.

Phytochemistry 26, 229-235 (1987). TLC of complex triterpenoid saponin mixtures on silica with chloroform - methanol - formic acid - water 15:9:1:2 and ethyl acetate - methanol -water 8:1:0.1, on RP-8 with 60 % methanol and on Avicel with the upper layer of butanol -pyridine -. water 6:2:3. Detection with 5 % sulfuric acid - methanol. Also PLC and column chromatography. Solvent systems suitable for very polar saponins.