There is a need at pharmacies, ports of entry, etc. for inexpensive rapid screening methods which could be used to determine if the right drug is present in the right amounts. These areas usually do not have ready access to full laboratory services for compendial testing. Such a method has been developed using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) making it possible to analyze drugs in areas without laboratory services. Solutions of the drug sample are spotted along with reference materials and the intensities visually compared. Since most drugs are colorless in white light, it is necessary to treat the developed chromatogram with some visualizing agent. Several different categories of pharmaceuticals have been made visible in white light by dipping the plate into a solution of iodine-KI. The stained spots make it possible to determine the drug content qualitatively and quantitatively within the range of specifications. The iodine staining method has been found to be a general method.
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