Thin layer chromatography is a very quick and easy way to check the purity of a chemical, see if a reaction is over, estimate how polar a chemical is, or verify the identity of a chemical. A drop of the chemical is dissolved in a solvent and spotted onto an aluminum or plastic sheet with a thin layer of silica gel on it. When the edge of the sheet is dipped into a solvent, the drop will run up the paper. If the compound is impure or a reaction is not over, one spot will divide into many. The most polar compounds will be at the bottom of the paper and the least polar will travel the furthest. The Rf value of a spot is how far the spot traveled, divided by how far the solvent front traveled.
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