In the Laboratory
Containment of Spray Reagents in TLC Spot Detection Josef G. Krause Department of Chemistry, Niagara University, NY 14109
A recent suggestion to visualize spots on thin layer plates by applying phosphomolybdic acid reagent with a cotton ball (1) may not be suitable for all visualization reagents especially concentrated sulfuric acid. If spraying a reagent with a power pac type device is preferred for this or some other reason, we suggest spraying the reagent inside of a twist tie-sealed, clear-plastic kitchen
garbage bag. In this way, spray reagents are completely contained obviating the need for spraying the plates in a fume hood, and cleanup is simple. Literature Cited 1. Lee, A. W. M.; Zengpei, Z. J. Chem. Educ., 1996, 73, 358.
Vol. 73 No. 10 October 1996 • Journal of Chemical Education
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