An improved method for the rapid and easy separation of leaf pigments and their derivatives by thin-layer chromatography

A thin-layer chromatographic method for the separation and identification of leaf pigments and their degradation products on commercial silica gel layer has been developed to give a tool to examine the purity of chlorophyll preparations and the chemical stability of chlorophyll molecules during the course of the chlorophyll preparation. It has been confirmed that the developing solvent system (isopentane:tert-butyl alcohol:acetone = 90:5:5, v/v/v) is quite useful to separate the photosynthetic pigments and their degradation products which were commonly found during the course of in vitro chlorophyll studies.