1-Phenylethanol undergoes an esterification with propionic anhydride in the presence of the enantioselective catalyst (S)-HBTM. The products of the reaction are analyzed by TLC. Which of the following statements about TLC are correct? A. A comparison of the relative areas of the developed spots of the ester and unreacted alcohol can lead to an estimate of the amount of conversion.
B. Assuming that there is 1.2 cm of ethyl acetate/hexanes solvent system at the bottom of the TLC tank, the ideal height at which to spot your samples on the TLC plate is 1.1 cm.
C. The alcohol has a lower Rf value than the ester product.
D. The samples in lanes 1 and 2 should be spotted so close to each other that they are almost touching.
E. The phosphomolybdic acid stains the spots green.
F. The silica stationary phase is non-toxic, so TLC plates can be handled by their faces with bare hands.