[pulpo]

In many research papers that I've seen (for example), a 1:4 mixture of 98% sulfuric acid and methanol is applied to silica gel plates for visualizing organic molecules, specifically hormones (progesterone, estrone, etc). Is there some reason that you couldn't just use a mixture of potassium permanganate and ethanol, or any other strong oxidizer/volatile solvent that isn't as dangerous? Do you have to use an oxidizing acid specifically? I feel like I must be missing something.

This is for an amateur project so I would really prefer to avoid working with concentrated acids.

[Hunter2]

I think it's only acidfying, no oxidation.
Permanganate and Ethanol is like rocket fuel. This is more dangerous.

[pulpo]

I think it's only acidfying, no oxidation.
Permanganate and Ethanol is like rocket fuel. This is more dangerous.

I see. Well, in that case I might just shelve this project. As an alternative 254nm uv lights for fluorescing the silica are very expensive. I don't yet have sufficient knowledge or experience to store, handle, and use concentrated acids especially outside of a lab. Nondestructive visualizing agents aren't really an option because I need to measure the diameter of the solutes under a microscope. And beside that the only nondestructive visualizing agent for phenols that I've found that isn't wildly expensive is iron(III) chloride.