Organic chemistry can be messy with not only the desired compound created but also myriad by-products. As synthetic chemists, our goal is to make these desired compounds in sufficient yield and purity to either create another compound or submit for evaluation by other departments. To purify these reaction mixtures, flash chromatography is the primary technique.

Many chemists I talk to understand that TLC data is useful for flash chromatography method development. Most also know that they should try to get their target compound to elute with an Rf between 0.15 and 0.4 by adjusting TLC solvent strength. Have you ever wondered why this is important and how Rf values impact flash chromatography results?

In this post I will explain the relationship between TLC Rf and flash elution volumes (CV) and why having your target compound elute in the Rf range is needed.

Higher performance flash columns are becoming all the rage these days.   Chemists are using them for challenging as well as for routine purification.   As a result, I am often asked, "do I need high-performance TLC plates for method development?"

In this post I will explain why the answer is no.

Flash column chromatography is used by between 20 and 40 thousand organic synthesis chemists worldwide, an amazing number. For most of these chemists flash chromatography is an important part of their daily workflow but allocating time for good method development is often not considered, which can lead to less than ideal purification results.

In this post I focus on how allocating just 10 minutes on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) for method development can save you a lot of grief later on.