Use of metal salts as fluorescence-inducing reagents in thin-layer chromatography

In the procedure described for the detection and quantitation of organic compounds in thin-layer chromatography, the formation of fluorescent derivatives is induced by thermal treatment of the chromatographic plates in the presence of a metal salt or another inorganic compound. Silicon tetrachloride and tin(IV) chloride can be applied in gaseous form, whereas zirconyl chloride and zirconyl sulphate have to be applied in aqueous solution. Zirconium derivatives have several advantages over other fluorogenic reagents, namely convenience of application, higher sensitivity of detection (allowing the detection of nanogram or picogram amounts of some organic compounds), speed reaction (requiring only a few seconds or minutes of treatment), great versatility and reasonable stability of the fluorophores obtained (several weeks). © 1981.