Separation and detection of sugars and alditols on thin layer chromatograms

A thin-layer chromatographic method has been developed to separate aldoses and their corresponding alditols. Two ascents of acetonitrile-ethyl acetate-1-propanol-water (85:20:20:15, v/v/v/v) at 20 degrees C on Whatman K6 plates were used. A dipping detection system using alkaline silver nitrate-sodium thiosulfate was used to detect the alditols in the 500 ng to 1 mu g range. The aldoses and their corresponding alditols were D-glucose, D-glucitol, D-mannose, D-mannitol, D-galactose, galactitol, D-xylose, xylitol, D-ribose, ribitol, D-arabinose, D-arabinitol, maltose, and maltitol. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.