The cinnamon oil underwent TLC analysis to determine how many different compounds the oil contained. The oil was compared with cinnamon leaf oil and commercial cinnamaldehyde. Rf values were measured in order to see if the cinnamon oil and cinnamaldehyde would have an identical rf value, indicating the same compound. In a TLC analysis, two phases were used: stationary phase and mobile phase. The stationary phase was SiO2 (Silica gel), which was on the TLC plate. The mobile phase was methanol: toluene (10/90 v/v), which was the developing solvent. A TLC jar was prepared. Filter paper was placed inside to saturate the jar with the developing solvent. This was done so the developing solvent would not evaporate as it travels up the TLC plate. A TLC plate was…show more content… As the mobile phase rose up the plate, it carried the oils with it. The stationary phase was polar so the polar compounds in the mobile phase and oils traveled slower than the nonpolar compounds. The polar compounds were slower as they bonded to the polar compounds in the stationary phase. As the mobile phase rose, the components in the different oils adsorbed to the stationary phase. After the mobile phase was about 1.00-1.15 cm from the top of the plate, the TLC plate was taken out and a line was drawn to designate the solvent front. The developing of the chromatogram was 8 minutes in total (4:14 pm – 4:22 pm) The colorless components on the TLC plate was then visualized under an UV light The UV light, at 254 nm, revealed the different compounds of the oils that were separated during the experiment. Circles were drawn to indicate the place of the compounds. UV light, however, does not depict all the separated compounds. Therefore, the TLC plate was dipped into vanillin in 1% ethanol under the fume hood and then heated above a hot plate. As the TLC plate was heated, stains of blue and red revealed all the separated compounds in the
