Anionic-nonionic surfactants coupled micellar thin-layer chromatography: synergistic effect on simultaneous separation of hydrophilic vitamins.

A micellar thin-layer chromatographic system comprising of silica layer impregnated with 0.01% sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as stationary phase and 0.1% aqueous solution of Cween 80 as mobile phase was identified as the most favorable system for the mutual separation of five water-soluble vitamins (folic acid, cyanocobalamin, thiamine, pyridoxine, and riboflavin). Effects of the presence of metal cations, inorganic anions, and amines as impurities was determined. The detection and dilution limits, given in parenthesis for folic acid (1 microg and 1:0.1 x 10(4)), cyanocobalamin (0.08 microg and 1:1.25 x 10(4)), thiamine (0.05 microg and 1:2.0 x 10(4)), pyridoxine (0.5 microg and 1:0.2 x 10(4)), and riboflavin (0.5 microg and 1:0.2 x 10(4)) were determined.