Curcumin TLC with Metals

The first TLC plate run showed very promising results, meaning there was complete separation of the curcuminoids.  Tests using UV showed that adding metals, especially iron and aluminium, to the curcumin solution changed the molecule, meaning that the curcuminoids were bonding to the metals as predicted.  TLC was then used on the curcumin-metal complexes to see if the different curcuminoids reacted differently with the metals.  Unfortunately, the results from the TLC were inconclusive.  In order to check each curcuminoid's reaction to the metal, the better option will likely be an HPLC analysis.

The TLC plate on the left had 4 identical spots of filtered curcumin extract.
The TLC plate on the right had, in order from left to right, (1) filtered curcumin extract,  (2) 100µl Fe (0.1M) in 2ml curcumin solution, (3) 20µl Fe (0.1M) in 2ml curcumin solution, (4) 100µl Al (0.1M) in 2ml curcumin solution.


The valley on the second plate originally indicated that the addition of iron to the curcumin was producing a complex with each curcuminoid that had slightly less affinity for the solvent.  However, the plate on the left that had the same sample in each spot showed the exact same valley so no conclusions could be made about the curcumin-iron complex based on the TLC.


The fourth spot on the second plate which contained aluminum was interesting because it did not show three spots like the other seven spots shown.  It produced a few spots along a smear.  This means the aluminum was forming complexes with curcumin and changing the molecule.  For more detailed results about the curcumin-aluminum complex, testing will need to be done with HPLC, UV, and IR spectroscopy. 


5/24/18
-Alex Griffith