Metrohm has launched a new version of the 844 UV/VIS Compact Ion Chromatograph in stainless steel, complete with a column oven.
The device is especially suited as an alternative, low-cost and simplified way of assaying pharmaceutical or food/beverage-based products using photometric detection.
One such application is the analysis of caffeine in over-the-counter tablets.
It can be performed isocratically using a phosphate/methanol mobile phase.
Analysis of tablets is said to be relatively simple: one tablet is solved in a known quantity of ultrapure water and run against a previously recorded caffeine calibration curve.
The caffeine is detected on the Prontosil C18 column in less than 6min at a wavelength of 280nm, using the IC Net controlling software.
