Which vial should be used for which application?

Vials, also called injection or sample vials, are small bottles which are used in medicine and in chemical laboratories for the filling of drugs, solutions or suspensions. These are available in different capacities and are sealed with a PTFE septum or a rubber stopper.

Selection of sample vials in labs

The correct choice of the sample vial depends on the intended use. If the sample is only to be stored in it, material and volume are the decisive factors. Most vials are available in hydrolytic Class 1 white and brown glass as well as TPX (polymethylpentene) or PP (polypropylene).

Silanized sample vials

In addition to normal glass vials, which are available for special analyzes with purity certification, we also carry silanized glass products. Silanized glass vials are used to reduce the absorption of polar compounds on the surface of the glass container (eg in protein analyzes). Some compounds, such as amines, proteins or phenols, tend to react with the glass surface. The silanization process prevents this by deactivating the glass surface.

Plastic vials

In some special applications, such as atomic absorption, water or protein analysis, capillary electrophoresis, etc., even plastic vials must be used. We offer a wide range of plastic vials and plastic micro vials made of different materials (PP, TPX) . For applications that require sealed vials (e.g. already crimped or screwed bottles), such as in the tobacco industry, we can also supply any kind of vial with a closure of your choice pre- locked . Please note, however, that the vials must be removed from the CleanPack packaging for the sealing process and therefore can not be labelled as "in the clean room".

EPA vials can be supplied with or without a purity certificate, depending on the requirements of the end user. In addition, EPA vials can also be delivered with screwed-on closures.

Bottles of glass of the 1st hydrolytic class

We also provide vials whose glass is made from the 1st hydrolytic class. Glass of the 1st hydrolytic class is very hard and has a small coefficient of expansion, even in large temperature fluctuations. It has excellent chemical resistance to acids and neutral solutions, even against alkaline solutions due to the relatively low basicity. The higher density of the glass surface gives it a higher water resistance. In glass of the 1st hydrolytic class one differentiates between glass with coefficients of expansion 33 (type 1, class A) and 51 (type 1, class B), whereby brown glass is only available with expansion coefficients 51 worldwide. The lower coefficient of expansion indicated by 33 implies that higher temperatures must be used in this harder clear glass to process it.

HPLC and GC applications with autosampler

When injecting directly from the sample vial for HPLC and GC applications, the vial must not only have a suitable material but also be compatible with the used autosampler. In the case of HPLC or GC applications, vials with the outer dimensions 32 x 11.6 mm are used for most autosamplers.

However, the vial shape has some details that must be compatible with your autosampler:

•  Thread ND8 : Standard vials for GC and HPLC
• Short thread ND9 / short thread N9 with Surestop: vials with short thread ND9 are universally applicable on practically all autosampler. The thread ends in the middle of the bottle neck so that there is still room for the gripper arm of the sampler between the closure and bottle shoulder. The variant short thread N9 with Surestop has an additional stop ring at the end of the thread. This makes the end point of the screwing process recognizable and ensures optimal sealing.
• Rolling and snap ring ND11: vial with further opening, especially suitable for filling viscous substances. Snap ring vials should only be used for HPLC. For flip-flops, flanging caps and a suitable flanging forceps are required.

The vials have a volume of 1.5 ml. Vials with an integrated cone are available at the bottom of the bottle for applications where nearly the entire sample volume is to be injected. If only small sample volumes are available, you can reduce your vials by matching microintensions with a volume of 0.1 - 0.2 ml.

Headspace bottles and other applications

• Fine-Threaded vials ND18: Due to the fine thread the vials are sealed gas tight. They are therefore suitable for headspace and solid phase microextraction analysis.
• Roll edge and headspace vials ND20: For headspace analysis, the sample vials must withstand a high internal pressure and therefore have a thicker wall thickness. They are available with a DIN roller edge or with bevelled headspace edge as well as with a flat or rounded base. The selection depends on the device type used.
• Threaded vials ND24: Suitable for Environmental Protection Association (EPA) analysis.