Using water as the mobile phase in temperature programmed liquid chromatography provides a number of benefits including better performance and the elimination of hazardous chemicals
Selerity Technologies has successfully demonstrated that it is possible to use water as the mobile phase in temperature programmed liquid chromatography (TPLC) separations, using its Polaratherm total temperature controller.
This development provides a number of benefits including better performance and the elimination of hazardous chemicals used in separations.
Not only is the use of water in chromatographic separations less hazardous to human health, but it is also very cost-effective. Another major benefit is that there is no solvent wastage produced from a chromatographic run utilising solely superheated water.
Selerity's Polaratherm oven is compatible with any TPLC mobile phase composition, including water, and can be used with any existing TPLC system, making it a valuable addition to any modern laboratory.
The use of water is also an extremely effective alternative to previously used solvents, such as ethanol, producing better results and purer analytes.
A new application note by Selerity shows that using water as the mobile phase greatly improves the efficiency of results.
Using the Polaratherm to obtain a fast separation of steroids, Selerity has shown that water produced faster and more reliable results.
With the use of temperature, many of the physical parameters associated with TPLC separations are affected, including the hydrogen bonding properties of water.
As temperature is increased, the intermolecular distance increases, weakening the hydrogen bond strength of water and resulting in a lower dielectric constant at elevated temperatures.
With this change comes the ability to use water as a moderately polar solvent (equivalent to methanol at ambient temperatures) and to eliminate the use of organic modifiers in the mobile phase.
The success of the Polaratherm in utilising water as an alternative to solvents in TPLC separations has led to Selerity Technologies developing the Aquachrom - dubbed 'the green machine'.
The Aquachrom oven is designed to use only superheated water as the mobile phase, making this instrument unique.
