COLUMBIA, MD - Faced with a worldwide shortage of acetonitrile (ACN), labs are seeking ways to reduce consumption of this common HPLC solvent. To this end, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments’ Prominence UFLC/UFLCXR systems and Shim-pack XR-ODS ultra-fast liquid chromatography columns minimize ACN consumption through high-speed analysis, yet retain the flexibility of conventional analysis.

 

Engineered for low carryover, the valves on the Prominence autosamplers require little or no additional rinsing after injection. The injection cycle time of the autosampler is 10 seconds, further reducing mobile-phase consumption. Additionally, for situations requiring operating under pressures up to 66 MPa, UFLCXR permits the substitution of methanol for ACN. The development of new methods using methanol will further assist in the reduction of acetonitrile usage.

 

Shim-pack XR-ODS columns enable users to shorten analysis time and drastically reduce ACN consumption without high pressures (< 30 MPa) by using a 2.2 mm particle size. Used with the Prominence UFLC system, a Shim-pack column uses only 2.3 mL of ACN for analysis of alkylphenones compared to 10.5 mL with a 5 mm column. In addition to reduced acetonitrile usage, analysis is five times faster with the use of the Shim-pack XR-ODS, and specialized high-pressure hardware is not required for operation.

 

For more information, visit www2.shimadzu.com/applications/LC/Shimadzu_Acetonitrile_shortage.pdf.