Antimony trichloride (\( \text{SbCl}_3 \)) in chloroform or acetic anhydride is a commonly used spray reagent for the detection of steroids on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plates. Upon heating after spraying, steroids react with antimony trichloride to produce colored spots, allowing for their visualization and identification.
Bromothymol blue is a pH indicator. Diphenyl carbazone is used as an indicator for mercury and other metal ions. Mercuric nitrate is a reagent used in various chemical tests but is not a common spray reagent for the general detection of steroids on TLC.