Translating Forbidden Authors: New Evidence on the Alchemical Library of Don Antonio de' Medici.

Research into the history of alchemy and Paracelsianism in Italy has highlighted the role of Italian courts in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as centres of elaboration and diffusion of alchemical knowledge. Among these, one of the best known is the Medici court which already dedicated spaces in the ducal foundry to the alchemical arts in the time of Cosimo I. This interest would remain alive with Francesco I and his son, Don Antonio de' Medici, one of the greatest supporters of Paracelsian medicine in Italy.

Profiling of components and validated determination of iridoids in Gardenia Jasminoides Ellis fruit by a high-performance-thin-layer- chromatography/mass spectrometry approach.

A novel method was set up with the aim to obtain a simultaneous cross comparative evaluation of different Gardenia Jasminoides Ellis fruits by the HPTLC fingerprint approach. The main components among the iridoid, hydroxycinnamic derivative and crocin classes were identified by TLC-MS ancillary techniques. The iridoids geniposide, gardenoside and genepin-1-β-d-gentiobioside were also quantitated by densitometric scanning at 240nm.

Validated determination of primulasaponins in primula root by a high-performance-thin-layer-chromatography densitometric approach.

A novel HPTLC-densitometric method was developed for separation and quantitation of primulasaponin I and II in different matrices. HPTLC silica gel 60 F254(S), 20 cm × 10 cm, plates with ethyl acetate:water:formic acid (5:1:1 v/v) as the mobile phase were used. Densitometric determinations were performed in reflectance mode at 540 nm after derivatization with vanillin reagent.

Crucial aspects of high performance thin layer chromatography quantitative validation. The case of determination of rosmarinic acid in different matrices.

A new HPTLC method was envisaged to determine rosmarinic acid (RA) in different matrices with the aim of testing the influence of optimizing the main HPTLC operative parameters in view of a more stringent validation process. HPTLC LiChrospher silica gel 60 F254s, 20 cm × 10 cm, plates with toluene:ethyl formate:formic acid (6:4:1, v/v) as the mobile phase were used. Densitometric determinations were performed in reflectance mode at 330 nm.