Organic Compounds

Home – Organic Compounds

What are Organic Compounds?

Organic compounds are carbon-based impurities that may be present in feed water or introduced during storage and distribution. In laboratory water systems, the overall level of organic contamination is commonly measured as Total Organic Carbon, or TOC.

Organic impurities may be present in very small quantities, but even trace levels can affect sensitive analytical applications

Where do Organic Compounds come from?

Organic compounds may come from:

  • Natural organic matter in water sources
  • Agricultural runoff
  • Industrial contamination
  • Municipal water treatment processes
  • Plastic tubing and fittings
  • Storage tanks
  • Exhausted purification cartridges
  • Biofilm
  • Bacterial by-products
  • Laboratory atmosphere
  • Improperly maintained water systems


Organic contamination may also be introduced after purification if the storage and distribution system is not properly designed.

How do Organic Compounds affect laboratory water?

Organic compounds can interfere with analytical methods and increase TOC. In chromatography, organic contamination can contribute to baseline noise, ghost peaks, unstable background and poor reproducibility. In LC-MS/MS, trace organics can affect sensitivity and background signal.

Organic contamination can cause:

  • Increased TOC
  • HPLC baseline noise
  • Ghost peaks
  • Poor chromatographic reproducibility
  • LC-MS/MS background interference
  • Contamination in reagent preparation
  • Biological application interference
  • Reduced confidence in analytical results


Organic impurities may not significantly affect resistivity, so a water system can show high resistivity while still having unacceptable TOC. This is why TOC monitoring is important for critical ultrapure water applications.

How are Organic Compounds controlled?

Organic compounds are controlled using:

  • Activated carbon
  • Reverse osmosis
  • UV oxidation
  • Deionization polishing cartridges
  • Ultrafiltration in some cases
  • Low-extractable materials
  • Proper storage tank design
  • Recirculation
  • Regular sanitization
  • TOC monitoring


For low-TOC ultrapure water, UV oxidation and appropriate polishing cartridges are especially important.

Applications affected

Organic compounds may affect:

  • HPLC
  • UHPLC
  • LC-MS/MS
  • TOC analysis
  • Trace organic analysis
  • Reagent preparation
  • Cell culture
  • Molecular biology
  • Critical analytical applications requiring low TOC

TKA Ultrapure Water Technologies India Pvt. Ltd.
Unit 311, Globe Business Park,
Kalyan – Badlapur Road, Laxmi Nagar, Ambarnath (W) 421501
Thane, Maharashtra, India
Phone: +91-9987174888 / +91-9867964888
Email: info@tkaindia.com

© 2026 TKA India | All Rights Reserved.

TKA Ultrapure Water Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian company focused on the design, manufacture and support of laboratory water purification systems… Read More

Quick Links

Accessories

Applications

Products

Purification Technologies

Learning Center

Water Impurities

Services

FAQ's

Privacy Policy

Terms & Condition

Team

Contact Us

Company

About Us

Services

Features

Our Pricing

Latest News

© 2026 TKA India | All Rights Reserved.