What is CAMAG HPTLC and how is it helpful in Chromatography

High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) is chromatographic technique based on the principle of planar chromatography. It is a modernized version of Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) with enhanced capabilities.

CAMAG is Swiss based company manufacturing TLC since 1961. They are the world leaders in instrumental HPTLC. First Manual TLC was into existence. Over the years the technique has evolved from manual to semi-automatic which now has upgraded to fully automated HPTLC PRO system in 2019 for routine quality control.

HPTLC not only achieves miniaturization of chromatograms but most importantly better resolution and reproducibility with a state of art software for documentation and control over the instrumentation. It is cost effective with high throughput. Up to 15 samples can be run on plate at a time and with less solvent consumption.

CAMAG HPTLC has modules of instruments combined to form a system. Each step has a designated module catering to analyst’s needs. These are software- controlled instruments with 21 CFR PART 11 & GLP compliance. Starting from applicator to detector and hyphenation. HPTLC produces visual chromatograms and gives information unlike other techniques.

Chromatography is a technique for separation of mixtures. HPTLC is one such powerful tool for separation of mixtures. Apart from separating compounds/analytes of interest it can be useful for various applications. Such as food testing, pharmaceuticals, forensics, cosmetics, herbals, etc.

HPTLC’s use in chromatography is not just limited to separation of mixtures. Various other applications in the field of pharmaceuticals include identification and quantification of API can also be performed using HPTLC. Vast applications like impurity profiling, content uniformity test (CUT), validation studies, stability studies, degradation studies and quantification. 

Hence, HPTLC is an ideal choice for samples of various types with less solvent consumption, accurate and fast results.