Reducing HPLC and UHPLC System Noise and Volume with High-Performance Static Mixers
Special Issues
A revolutionary new inline static mixer has been developed and specifically tailored to meet the exacting demands of HPLC and UHPLC systems. Poor mixing of two or more mobile phase solvents results in a high signal to noise ratio and, thus, decreased sensitivity. The test data presented demonstrates that superior mixing is achieved while minimizing the internal volume in various gradient test conditions, such as unparalleled mixing for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and water and acetonitrile gradients.
Low mixing efficiency, resulting in poor signal-to-noise ratios, has plagued the chromatography world when it comes to limits of detection and sensitivity. If poor mixing is present, baseline noise will appear as a sine wave (rise and fall) of the detector signal versus time. Poor mixing will also broaden and create asymmetrical peaks resulting in reduced column efficiency and peak resolution. The ideal static mixer will combine the advantages of high mixing efficiency, low dead volume and low pressure drop, while minimizing the volume and maximizing the throughput of the system.
Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the low-pressure gradient experimental test system.
Experimental Conditions
The following HPLC conditions and test setup were employed to measure the system baseline noise and to compare the relative performance of various static mixers. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a typical HPLC and UHPLC system configuration. Static mixer testing was performed by locating the Mott PerfectPeak® static mixer immediately downstream of the pump and upstream of the sample injector and HPLC column. For this study, mixing efficiencies were performed by bypassing the sample injector and column using a capillary tube between the static mixer and the UV detector to create back pressure.
Figure 2: Plots showing offset HPLC UV detector signal versus time for this study showing baseline noise with no mixer, and Mott 25 µL, 50 µL, 100 µL, 150 µL, and 300 µL mixers.
The HPLC system utilized for this testing was an Agilent 1260 Series HPLC with a UV detector controlled using Agilent Chemstation Software. Table I contains the setup conditions used in this study.
Conclusion
This application note demonstrates that greater mixing efficiency is exhibited with every Mott PerfectPeak® static mixer volume increase with respect to the system with no mixer. Greater than 95% reduction in baseline noise was achieved with the largest size mixer which will result in improved limits of detection and sensitivity.
Mott Corporation
84 Spring Lane, Farmington, CT 06032
tel. 1 (860) 747-6333; email: PerfectPeak@mottcorp.com
Website: www.mottcorp.com
2024 EAS Awardees Showcase Innovative Research in Analytical Science
November 20th 2024Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Washington, and other leading institutions took the stage at the Eastern Analytical Symposium to accept awards and share insights into their research.
Inside the Laboratory: The Richardson Group at the University of South Carolina
November 20th 2024In this edition of “Inside the Laboratory,” Susan Richardson of the University of South Carolina discusses her laboratory’s work with using electron ionization and chemical ionization with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to detect DBPs in complex environmental matrices, and how her work advances environmental analysis.
AI and GenAI Applications to Help Optimize Purification and Yield of Antibodies From Plasma
October 31st 2024Deriving antibodies from plasma products involves several steps, typically starting from the collection of plasma and ending with the purification of the desired antibodies. These are: plasma collection; plasma pooling; fractionation; antibody purification; concentration and formulation; quality control; and packaging and storage. This process results in a purified antibody product that can be used for therapeutic purposes, diagnostic tests, or research. Each step is critical to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of the final product. Applications of AI/GenAI in many of these steps can significantly help in the optimization of purification and yield of the desired antibodies. Some specific use-cases are: selecting and optimizing plasma units for optimized plasma pooling; GenAI solution for enterprise search on internal knowledge portal; analysing and optimizing production batch profitability, inventory, yields; monitoring production batch key performance indicators for outlier identification; monitoring production equipment to predict maintenance events; and reducing quality control laboratory testing turnaround time.
Infographic: Be confidently audit ready, at any time and reduce failures in pharma QC testing
November 20th 2024Discover how you can simplify the audit preparation process with data integrity dashboards that provide transparency to key actions, and seamlessly track long-term trends and patterns, helping to prevent system suitability failures before they occur with waters_connect Data Intelligence software.
Critical Role of Oligonucleotides in Drug Development Highlighted at EAS Session
November 19th 2024A Monday session at the Eastern Analytical Symposium, sponsored by the Chinese American Chromatography Association, explored key challenges and solutions for achieving more sensitive oligonucleotide analysis.
