TheScholarOfBrew
Banned
This guide is for anyone who wants to test the identity and general purity of steroid raw powders (like testosterone esters) at home without sending them to a lab every time. It’s cheap, effective, and uses a method called TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography)... The same principle labs use, just simplified.
What You’ll Be Doing (In Simple Terms)
You’ll dissolve a bit of your raw steroid, drop it on a special test plate, let it travel up using a solvent mix, and then shine a UV light on it to see how far it traveled.
If you compare this to a known good sample (reference), you can:
Confirm it’s likely the same compound
See if it’s pure or has extra stuff in it
Spot fakes or underdosed raws
This is a qualitative and comparative tool... not a lab-grade purity percentage, but a reliable way to validate batches, especially for consistency, identity, and visible impurity detection.
PART 1: What You Need (Shopping List)
TLC Plates (Silica Gel 60 F254)
Get pre-coated plates. Size 5x10 cm is good.
Amazon or eBay: ~$30–$50 for a pack
UV Light (254 nm)
MUST be 254nm shortwave (not just blacklight)
Use a portable handheld UV lamp
Amazon: ~$60–$90
Capillary Spotting Tubes or Micro-Pipettes
For applying small drops on plates
~$5–$15 per pack of 100
Solvents (Your Mobile Phase)
n-Hexane and Ethyl Acetate (or premix 4:1 ratio)
Hardware store-grade can work (e.g. VM&P Naphtha for hexane)
Optional pre-mix from Sorbtech or FisherSci
Sample Vials or Small Jars
To dissolve your steroid sample
Developing Chamber (Glass Jar w/ Lid)
Mason jar, peanut butter jar, or similar
Line it with a paper towel inside
Safety Gear
Nitrile gloves
Safety glasses (especially for UV!)
Reference Sample
A trusted raw powder you know is legit (e.g. old batch from a verified source)
Still Air Box (Optional but Recommended)
A plastic tote with arm holes to prevent contamination and hold fumes in ( need to vent be safe don't be dumb)
PART 2: How to Do It
1. Prep Your Plate
Use a pencil (not a pen!) to draw a line ~1 cm from the bottom of the TLC plate — this is your baseline.
Label where each sample goes.
2. Make Your Sample Solution
Put a few mg of your raw powder in a small vial
Add 1 mL of ethanol or acetone (or same mobile phase you’re using)
Do the same with your reference
3. Spot the Plate
Use a capillary to touch a small dot of solution on the baseline
Do one for the unknown and one for the reference
Let dry completely (you can re-spot to build up the same dot)
4. Develop the Plate
Pour your 4:1 hexane:ethyl acetate mix into your jar (only ~5 mm deep)
Stick the TLC plate in vertically, silica side down, spots above the solvent
Close the lid and let the solvent rise almost to the top
Pull the plate out, mark the solvent front with pencil, let it dry
5. Visualize with UV
In a dark room or inside your still air box, shine the 254 nm UV light
You’ll see dark spots on a glowing green background
Circle the spots with pencil
6. Calculate Rf
Measure from the baseline to each spot center
Measure from the baseline to the solvent front
Rf = (distance of spot) / (distance of solvent front)
Compare unknown Rf to your reference Rf
7. Interpret Results
Same Rf, one clean spot? Probably same compound, looks good
Extra spots? Probably impure or cut
Different Rf than reference? Might be fake or mislabelled
PART 3: Extra Tips
Don’t touch the silica surface
Always use pencil to mark
Spot small... big spots smear
Let your spot fully dry before developing
If your spots don’t move, use more ethyl acetate in your solvent mix
If spots run off the plate, reduce polarity (more hexane)
Work in a ventilated area, solvents are flammable
Always compare unknowns side-by-side with a known good batch
Use a co-spot (both samples mixed in one dot) to confirm identity if needed
FAQ
Q: Can I use this without a reference? A: Not reliably. Without a confirmed good raw to compare to, TLC won’t tell you what you're looking at. It’s for comparison, not blind identification.
Q: Will this tell me the exact % purity? A: No. TLC is semi-quantitative. It will show if something is mostly clean or if it's contaminated — but not down to a precise number.
Q: Is this safer than guessing or injecting unknowns? A: Way safer. This method can’t guarantee sterility or clinical-grade analysis, but it can flag obvious fakes, cuts, or totally mismatched raws before you brew and inject.
Q: Isn’t this too “backyard chemist”? A: TLC is used in legit chemistry labs all over the world. You're doing it on a small scale, but the principle is sound and reproducible. When done carefully, TLC gives you real insight into your raws.
Q: Is this cheaper than Jano? A: After 2–3 batches, absolutely. A full TLC setup can cost under $200 and be reused over and over. Jano is still the gold standard for full quantification, but this is perfect for screening multiple batches. In fact I recommend testing at jano anyways and if you happen to get a good raw sample. Keep it and use it with this method.
Q: Can this test fake gear? A: Yes. If it’s not the real ester, it won’t move the same on the plate. You’ll catch bunk or mismatched compounds easily if you have a legit sample to compare to.
Final Note to Critics: This isn’t meant to replace professional HPLC or lab-grade MS testing. But for DIY quality control, TLC is a proven, chemistry-backed method that costs a fraction of a full lab. If done correctly, it’s accurate enough to validate whether a raw is consistent with your reference and it’s way better than blind trust. For the average home brewer or hobbyist chemist, it’s a valuable, repeatable tool for self-protection and cost savings.
What You’ll Be Doing (In Simple Terms)
You’ll dissolve a bit of your raw steroid, drop it on a special test plate, let it travel up using a solvent mix, and then shine a UV light on it to see how far it traveled.
If you compare this to a known good sample (reference), you can:
Confirm it’s likely the same compound
See if it’s pure or has extra stuff in it
Spot fakes or underdosed raws
This is a qualitative and comparative tool... not a lab-grade purity percentage, but a reliable way to validate batches, especially for consistency, identity, and visible impurity detection.
PART 1: What You Need (Shopping List)
TLC Plates (Silica Gel 60 F254)
Get pre-coated plates. Size 5x10 cm is good.
Amazon or eBay: ~$30–$50 for a pack
UV Light (254 nm)
MUST be 254nm shortwave (not just blacklight)
Use a portable handheld UV lamp
Amazon: ~$60–$90
Capillary Spotting Tubes or Micro-Pipettes
For applying small drops on plates
~$5–$15 per pack of 100
Solvents (Your Mobile Phase)
n-Hexane and Ethyl Acetate (or premix 4:1 ratio)
Hardware store-grade can work (e.g. VM&P Naphtha for hexane)
Optional pre-mix from Sorbtech or FisherSci
Sample Vials or Small Jars
To dissolve your steroid sample
Developing Chamber (Glass Jar w/ Lid)
Mason jar, peanut butter jar, or similar
Line it with a paper towel inside
Safety Gear
Nitrile gloves
Safety glasses (especially for UV!)
Reference Sample
A trusted raw powder you know is legit (e.g. old batch from a verified source)
Still Air Box (Optional but Recommended)
A plastic tote with arm holes to prevent contamination and hold fumes in ( need to vent be safe don't be dumb)
PART 2: How to Do It
1. Prep Your Plate
Use a pencil (not a pen!) to draw a line ~1 cm from the bottom of the TLC plate — this is your baseline.
Label where each sample goes.
2. Make Your Sample Solution
Put a few mg of your raw powder in a small vial
Add 1 mL of ethanol or acetone (or same mobile phase you’re using)
Do the same with your reference
3. Spot the Plate
Use a capillary to touch a small dot of solution on the baseline
Do one for the unknown and one for the reference
Let dry completely (you can re-spot to build up the same dot)
4. Develop the Plate
Pour your 4:1 hexane:ethyl acetate mix into your jar (only ~5 mm deep)
Stick the TLC plate in vertically, silica side down, spots above the solvent
Close the lid and let the solvent rise almost to the top
Pull the plate out, mark the solvent front with pencil, let it dry
5. Visualize with UV
In a dark room or inside your still air box, shine the 254 nm UV light
You’ll see dark spots on a glowing green background
Circle the spots with pencil
6. Calculate Rf
Measure from the baseline to each spot center
Measure from the baseline to the solvent front
Rf = (distance of spot) / (distance of solvent front)
Compare unknown Rf to your reference Rf
7. Interpret Results
Same Rf, one clean spot? Probably same compound, looks good
Extra spots? Probably impure or cut
Different Rf than reference? Might be fake or mislabelled
PART 3: Extra Tips
Don’t touch the silica surface
Always use pencil to mark
Spot small... big spots smear
Let your spot fully dry before developing
If your spots don’t move, use more ethyl acetate in your solvent mix
If spots run off the plate, reduce polarity (more hexane)
Work in a ventilated area, solvents are flammable
Always compare unknowns side-by-side with a known good batch
Use a co-spot (both samples mixed in one dot) to confirm identity if needed
FAQ
Q: Can I use this without a reference? A: Not reliably. Without a confirmed good raw to compare to, TLC won’t tell you what you're looking at. It’s for comparison, not blind identification.
Q: Will this tell me the exact % purity? A: No. TLC is semi-quantitative. It will show if something is mostly clean or if it's contaminated — but not down to a precise number.
Q: Is this safer than guessing or injecting unknowns? A: Way safer. This method can’t guarantee sterility or clinical-grade analysis, but it can flag obvious fakes, cuts, or totally mismatched raws before you brew and inject.
Q: Isn’t this too “backyard chemist”? A: TLC is used in legit chemistry labs all over the world. You're doing it on a small scale, but the principle is sound and reproducible. When done carefully, TLC gives you real insight into your raws.
Q: Is this cheaper than Jano? A: After 2–3 batches, absolutely. A full TLC setup can cost under $200 and be reused over and over. Jano is still the gold standard for full quantification, but this is perfect for screening multiple batches. In fact I recommend testing at jano anyways and if you happen to get a good raw sample. Keep it and use it with this method.
Q: Can this test fake gear? A: Yes. If it’s not the real ester, it won’t move the same on the plate. You’ll catch bunk or mismatched compounds easily if you have a legit sample to compare to.
Final Note to Critics: This isn’t meant to replace professional HPLC or lab-grade MS testing. But for DIY quality control, TLC is a proven, chemistry-backed method that costs a fraction of a full lab. If done correctly, it’s accurate enough to validate whether a raw is consistent with your reference and it’s way better than blind trust. For the average home brewer or hobbyist chemist, it’s a valuable, repeatable tool for self-protection and cost savings.
