Forensic analysis of analgesics by TLC

Forensic Analysis: TLC of an Analgesic Introduction: Analgesics are a class of chemical substances that are found in many over-the-counter drugs that alleviate pain. However, despite their similar therapeutic effects, the active ingredient in formulations such as Excedrin, Advil, and Tylenol is highly variable. Aspirin, for example, has a chemical structure unrelated to both ibuprofen and acetominophen and yet it relieves pain just the same. Since the structures of analgesics are different, it is likely that they also have different chemical properties. Judging by the presence of diverse functional groups in these molecules, one way they will differ is their overall polarity.