The choice of solvent system for amino acid thin layer chromatography (TLC) will depend on the specific amino acids being separated and the type of TLC plate being used.
One commonly used solvent system for amino acid TLC is the n-butanol/acetic acid/water system, with a ratio of 4:1:1. This system is suitable for separating neutral and acidic amino acids, and is compatible with silica gel TLC plates.
For basic amino acids, a solvent system containing a higher proportion of water is usually used, such as n-propanol/ammonia/water with a ratio of 7:3:5.