High-Purity Water for Reliable Chromatographic Analysis
Chromatographic techniques depend on water for mobile-phase preparation, standards, blanks, sample dilution, reagent preparation and instrument rinsing. Even very low levels of ionic, organic, particulate or microbial contamination can influence baseline stability, detection limits, peak shape and reproducibility.
A properly selected laboratory water purification system helps laboratories maintain consistent water quality for routine and high-sensitivity chromatographic applications.
HPLC is widely used in pharmaceutical, chemical, environmental, food and life-science laboratories. Water may be used as a mobile-phase component, diluent, reagent, blank and cleaning solution.
Contaminants present in water may contribute to:
Recommended Water Quality
Freshly dispensed Type I ultrapure water is generally recommended for:
Water with low TOC is particularly important for gradient HPLC and UV-sensitive applications.
Best Practices
Use freshly dispensed water and clean mobile-phase containers. Avoid prolonged storage of ultrapure water, as it may absorb carbon dioxide, organic vapours and airborne contamination.
Monitor resistivity and TOC, and replace polishing cartridges, UV lamps, final filters and tank vent filters according to system condition and application requirements.
Explore Water Solutions for HPLC
UHPLC operates at higher pressure and commonly uses smaller particle-size columns than conventional HPLC. Its increased sensitivity and resolution make control of water quality especially important.
Very small quantities of organic, ionic or particulate contamination may affect:
Recommended Water Quality
High-quality Type I ultrapure water with low TOC and minimal particulate contamination is recommended for:
A suitable final filter may be used where required by the application and instrument procedure.
Best Practices
Water should be dispensed immediately before mobile-phase preparation. Mobile-phase bottles, caps, filters and transfer lines should be kept clean.
A high resistivity reading alone may not confirm suitability for UHPLC. Organic contamination, particles and microbial by-products should also be controlled.
Explore Water Solutions for UHPLC
Ion chromatography is used for the determination of anions, cations and other ionic species. Because the technique measures ionic contaminants directly, the quality of water used for eluents, standards and blanks is critical.
Poor-quality water may cause:
Recommended Water Quality
Freshly dispensed Type I ultrapure water with very low ionic contamination is generally recommended for:
Best Practices
Avoid storing ultrapure water for long periods because absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide can increase conductivity.
Use clean, non-contaminating containers and avoid stagnant dispensing lines. The quality of water entering the Type I polishing stage should also be maintained, since poor feed water can shorten cartridge life and produce unstable final water quality.
Explore Water Solutions for Ion Chromatography
LC-MS/MS combines chromatographic separation with highly sensitive mass detection. Contaminants that may be insignificant in routine analysis can produce background ions, ion suppression, adduct formation or unidentified peaks in LC-MS/MS.
Water quality is especially important for trace analysis, pharmaceutical research, clinical applications, environmental testing and bioanalytical work.
Potential Effects of Poor Water Quality
Recommended Water Quality
Freshly dispensed Type I ultrapure water with very low TOC and low ionic contamination is recommended for:
Best Practices
Use freshly dispensed water in containers suitable for LC-MS/MS applications. Prevent contamination from mobile-phase bottles, caps, tubing, filters, laboratory air and handling practices.
Water quality should be evaluated together with solvents, reagents, containers and the complete analytical procedure. A high resistivity value alone does not identify trace organic contaminants that may affect mass-spectrometric analysis.
Explore Water Solutions for LC-MS/MS
The most important water-quality parameters may include:
Parameter | Importance in Chromatography |
Resistivity and conductivity | Indicate ionic contamination |
TOC | Indicates organic contamination that may affect baselines and detection |
Particles | May affect columns, frits, valves and flow paths |
Microorganisms | Can generate particles and organic by-products |
Consistency | Supports reproducible mobile phases, standards and blanks |
The appropriate system depends on:
For laboratories operating multiple chromatographic instruments, a centralized system may provide purified and ultrapure water from a common generation, storage and distribution arrangement.
Share your chromatographic technique, number of instruments, daily water requirement, feed-water source and required water quality with TKA.
Our specialists can help evaluate the appropriate production capacity, polishing technology, storage arrangement and dispensing configuration for your laboratory.
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
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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
