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The bottles of an HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) should not be vacuumized, as this can seriously disrupt the system's operation. Here are the main reasons:
Open and exposed, not the solution!
The eluent must remain a sealed system, otherwise the liquids can evaporate. This is not only a costly problem, but it will also make retention times unreliable. SGS conducted independent research and concluded that a SCAT system causes retention times to change over time because the various liquids evaporate at different rates, resulting in a change in the ratio. See Figures 1 & 2 for examples of the effect of hermetic sealing on the composition of the liquids.
Figure 1: Volume% difference, performed by SGS.
Stability of the fluid flow:
A vacuum can cause the pump to receive insufficient fluid, resulting in irregular or interrupted fluid flow. This directly impacts the reproducibility and accuracy of measurements, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 2: Difference in density of methanol, performed by SGS.
Figure 2: Difference in density of methanol, performed by SGS.
Figure 3: Retention times with and without SCAT system.
Damage to the pump:
HPLC pumps are designed to deliver a constant flow of fluid. If a vacuum develops in the storage bottles, the pumps have to work harder, which can cause wear or damage.
Air bubbles:
A vacuum can cause air bubbles to form in the fluid system. These bubbles can cause malfunctions, such as pressure fluctuations and erroneous detector signals.
Contamination:
Under a vacuum, unwanted substances can be drawn in through small openings or leaks, affecting the purity of the solvent.
How to fix this:
The use of bottles with vent filters. Leaving the bottles open can lead to several problems, such as contamination, inhalation of harmful CMR substances, and evaporation of liquids, which can alter the eluent's original ratio, which in turn can affect retention times. In short, to improve accuracy, reproducibility, and the health of analysts, the right vent filters are essential.
The solution:
By using SCAT air valves, all these problems are prevented. Satiata Laboratory Solutions supplies and installs these air vent filters for HPLC.
For more information, please contact us.
HPLC Supply