Solid phase extraction (SPE) is an increasingly useful sample preparation technique. With SPE, many of the problems associated with liquid-liquid extraction can be prevented, such as incomplete phase separations, less-than-quantitative recoveries, use of expensive, breakable specialty glassware and disposal of large quantities of organic solvents. SPE is more efficient than liquid-liquid extraction, yields quantitative extractions that are easy to perform, is rapid and can be automated. Solvent use and lab time are reduced. SPE is used most often to prepare liquid samples and extract semi-volatile or nonvolatile analytes, but can also be used with solids that are pre-extracted into solvents. SPE products are excellent for sample extraction, concentration, and cleanup. They are available in a wide variety of chemistries, adsorbents, and sizes. Selecting the most suitable product for each application and sample is important.
The advantage of the SPE is in the purity of the extracts. Thus, it is especially suitable for sophisticated analysis, such as trace analysis. With the right choice of SPE, sorbent required substances can be extracted and enriched selectively, even if they have different polarities. SPE cartridges are available with many different sorbents. These correspond to the usual filling materials of HPLC columns, such as reversed phase, normal phase, ion exchange or mixed-mode phase.
Agilent Technologies has probably the widest range of high quality SPE cartridges. For over 30 years, the Bond Elut brand name has been synonymous with quality and consistency. Agilent offers SPE cartridges for almost any matrix with over 40 bonded silica phases for highly specialised methods and polymeric phases for rapid method development. Bond Elut also has probably the most versatile formats for SPE cartridges.
We offer SPE cartridges from J.T. Baker, who have over 25 years of experience in this market. J.T. Baker has two product lines:
Bakerbond SPE columns - if speed, high separation performance and a good cost/benefit ratio are important to you for almost any SPE analysis.
Speedisk Extraction Disks - for high capacity, throughput, precision and sample utilisation.
We offer the full range of SPE cartridges from Grace. The sorbent producer Grace stands out for its wide range of filling materials for all applications.
Chromabond SPE cartridges from the German brand Macherey-Nagel are subject to strict quality control to ensure perfect reproducibility from batch to batch and within each batch. Careful attention to grain size distribution and pore widths allows for homogeneous flow through the column. We offer the full range of Chromabond SPE cartridges, providing an answer to almost any application challenge.
LiChrolut sorbents from Merck Millipore are subjected to the most stringent quality controls. This ensures high batch-to-batch reproducibility. Merck SPE cartridges are characterized by the validated and certified production process, which guarantees highest purity, and their high capacity.
HyperSep SPE columns from Thermo Scientific are ideal for applications in pharmaceuticals, biochemistry, environmental analysis and food analysis. The HyperSep column range is particularly broad.
Thermo Scientific SOLA SPE columns are a revolution in SPE. As the first SPE products without frits, they offer greater reproducibility and purer, more consistent extracts with lower solvent requirements and higher sensitivity. As a result, they are often superior to conventional bulk-packed SPE products.
Waters' Sep-Pak SPE cartridges have a wide range of phases for almost all applications. No other SPE cartridge is found so frequently in scientific papers. Waters certification guarantees the low presence of extractable residues. This benefits customers in environmental, pharmaceutical and food analysis.
Waters' Oasis SPE cartridges are very well suited for difficult and highly selective separations of samples. The advantages of using Oasis cartridges are high selectivity, reduced matrix effects and high sensitivity for small molecules and therapeutic peptides.
Packing Material | Application | |
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C18 | octadecyl bonded silica | For reversed phase extraction of nonpolar to moderately polar compounds, such as antibiotics, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, caffeine, drugs, dyes, essential oils, fat soluble vitamins, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, hydrocarbons, parabens, phenols, phthalate esters, steroids, surfactants, theophylline, and water soluble vitamins. |
C8 | octyl bonded silica | For reversed phase extraction of nonpolar to moderately polar compounds, such as antibiotics, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, caffeine, drugs, dyes, essential oils, fat soluble vitamins, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, hydrocarbons, parabens, phenols, phthalate esters, steroids, surfactants, theophylline, and water soluble vitamins. |
C4 | butyldimethyl bonded silica | Less hydrophobic than LC-8 or LC-18. For extraction of peptides and proteins. |
Phenyl | phenyl bonded silica | Slightly less retention than LC-18 or LC-8 material. For reversed phase extraction of nonpolar to moderately polar compounds, especially aromatic compounds. |
Packing Material | Application | |
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CN | cyanopropyl bonded silica | For reversed phase extraction of moderately polar compounds, normal phase extraction of polar compounds, such as aflatoxins, antibiotics, dyes, herbicides, pesticides, phenols, steroids. Weak cation exchange for carbohydrates and cationic compounds. |
Diol | octydiol bonded silica | For normal phase extraction of polar compounds. |
NH2 | aminopropyl bonded silica | For normal phase extraction of polar compounds, weak anion exchange for carbohydrates, weak anions, and organic acids. |
Packing Material | Application | |
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SAX | quaternary amine bonded silica with Cl- counterion | For strong anion exchange for anions, organic acids, nucleic acids, nucleotides, and surfactants. |
SCX | sulfonic acid bonded silica with Na+ counterion | For strong cation exchange for cations, antibiotics, drugs, organic bases, amino acids, catecholamines, herbicides, nucleic acid bases, nucleosides, and surfactants. |