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Thin-Layer Chromatography

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Plant Lipids

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2295))

Abstract

Lipid extracts from plants represent a mixture of polar membrane lipids and nonpolar lipids. The main constituents of the polar lipid fraction are glycerolipids, that is, galactolipids, sulfolipid, and phospholipids. In addition, betaine lipids are found in pteridophytes, bryophytes, and algae. Nonpolar lipids include the storage lipid triacylglycerol, wax esters, diacylglycerol and free fatty acids. The complex lipid mixtures from plant tissues can be separated by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) into different lipid classes. In most cases glass plates coated with a silica gel are used as stationary phase and an organic solvent as mobile phase. Different solvent systems are required to separate polar membrane lipids or nonpolar lipids by TLC. Depending on the complexity of the lipid mixture, lipids are separated using one- or two-dimensional TLC systems. Different dyes and reagents allow the visualization of all lipid classes, or the selective staining of glycolipids or phospholipids. Lipids can be isolated from the TLC plate for subsequent analysis, provided that nondestructive methods are used for visualization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Georg Hölzl & Peter Dörmann

Authors
  1. Georg Hölzl
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  2. Peter Dörmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter Dörmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Dorothea Bartels

  2. IMBIO Institut, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Peter Dörmann

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Hölzl, G., Dörmann, P. (2021). Thin-Layer Chromatography. In: Bartels, D., Dörmann, P. (eds) Plant Lipids. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2295. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1362-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1362-7_3

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-1361-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-1362-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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