The Use of Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) in Qualitative and Quantitative Determinations of Photographic Developing Agents (in Developer Solution) Using a Scanning Densitometer

TLC was used, for qualitative and quantitative analysis of photographic developing agents hydroquinone, metol, phenidone, para phenylenediamine, para aminophenol, ascorbic acid and the oxidized species. Experimental conditions and procedures for reporting Rf values of the aqueous solutions of the developing agent were standardized. Quantitative TLC was done for hydroquinone. The density maxima obtained from the scanning densitometric trace of the eluted and visualized chromatogram was correlated to the concentration of the hydroquinone. Aqueous solutions of hydroquinone were prepared at four levels of concentration, three levels of pH and two levels of sodium sulfite concentration for quantitative analysis using TLC