Magnesol thin-layer chromatography of flavonoid compounds*
Recent investigations in this laboratory concerned with the distribution of anthocyanin and its precursors in corn (Zea ways L.) revealed the presence of quercetin and its 3-glycoside, isoquercitrin in seed and pollen. Furthermore, a glycosyltransferase enzyme was discovered in pollen which catalyzed the addition of glucose to quercetin. The characterization of the enzyme required a simple, efficient, quantitative method of separating quercetin from isoquercitrin.
Cf the several chromatographic techniques that have been used in the separation and identification of flavonoid compounds, paper chromatography has been the most extensively usedl. ICE AND WENDER~ and WATKINS have used column. chromatography with Magnesol as the adsorbent for .the 'large scale separation and purification of these compounds. Although their methods are reliable they require too much material and 'consume too much time to assay ,for particular flavonoids in small quantities. Numerous thin-layer systems have been developed in recent times for the chromatographic separation of flavonoid compounds 4-ls. Although these systems were effective in the qualitative separation of quercetin from isoquercitrin they, .were not readily adapted to the quantitative estimation of isoquercitrin. The successful use of Magnesol as an adsorbent in the column chromatographic separation of flavonoid compounds313 strongly suggested its use as a thin-layer adsorbent if it could be applied to the thinlayer plates.
This communication describes a method for the preparation of Magnesol thinlayer plates and their use in the separation and quantitative estimation of flavonoid compounds.