Thin layer chromatography for the separation and analysis of acidic carbohydrates

Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is routinely used by synthetic organic chemists and natural products chemists working on a variety of types of molecules. Carbohydrate chemists and biochemists in the past largely relied on paper chromatography for rapid and inexpensive analysis. Carbohydrates are highly polar molecules and often require derivatization to be analyzed by TLC. Acidic carbohydrates pose an even more difficult challenge as they contain a formal negative charge and counterion, and can interact with commonly used stationary phases. This review describes TLC methods that have been developed for the analysis of acidic monosaccharides, disaccharides, and oligosaccharides derived from natural sources.