The polynuclear aromatic compounds (PNA): anthracene, napthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, pyrenecarboxaldehyde, benzo (a) pyrene, benzo (e) pyrene, perylene and fluorene can be chromatographed on polyamide TLC sheets using an aqueous micellar solution cf sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) as the mobile phase. Reversed micellar solutions (of sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate) were used in a reverse phase chromatographic separation of amino acids. Some amino acids tended to streak slightly rather than move as discrete spots. Conditions could be adjusted, however, so that most of the amino acids and all PNA's would move as spots.