context: You will be provided with three organic solvent-extracted samples of urine, A, B & C.
One is from a normal 30-year-old female at the beginning of her oestrous cycle, the second is
from a pregnant woman and the third is from a normal 20 year-old male. Also supplied is a
solution of chemically pure progesterone. Also attatched are the results obtained.
1. Make an accurate drawing of your TLC below. 2. Determine the Rf values of the spots.
A=0.53,0.75B=0.51,0.76C=0.5P=0.75 3. State which sample A, B or C belongs to which patient.
A is Nolwal worvan B is Pregronk C is Nalo
5. Why does progesterone run to a different position on the TLC compared with the other steroid
in the male urinary sample? What might this steroid be? 6. How would increasing the ratio of
ethanol to chloroform in the reverse-phase TLC running solvent affect the final position of
progesterone? Why?