Forensics

In forensic toxicology, the identification and/or quantification of drugs, pesticides and poisons from human or animal bodies (tissue, fluid, plasma, hair, serum, etc.) samples are among the important interests.

In most cases, received samples in the forensic science lab consist of a complex mixture of substances. In forensic science, there is a need to detect one or a number of compounds (e. g. content of a drug in the blood sample). However, there are very few analytical methods that are selective for a single chemical species. One of these methods is thin-layer chromatography which is a powerful technique used in forensic science for the separation of complex mixtures.

It is commonly used to identify and compare samples of inks, drugs, poisons, tranquilizers, explosives and biological samples such as urine, saliva, serum, hair, blood as well as forgery.

TLC is a simple, fast, flexible and cost-effective separation technique that enables the simultaneous analysis of many substances on just one single plate. It is widely used in forensic science and has solved many cases successfully over the last years.

High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) is an advanced form of TLC with an enhanced separation efficiency. HPTLC includes validated methods for qualitative and quantitative analysis that deliver reliable results. In addition, it has all quality requirements for use in fully regulated laboratories. It is a modern analytical tool with several advantages such as simplified sample preparation, lower solvent consumption (compared to TLC and HPLC), low operating cost, high sample throughput, ease of use and short analysis time.

With our TLC/HPTLC devices, you can analyse different types of complex sample matrices in the forensic lab.