CombiFlash® R
f
Installation Guide
5-8
Table 5-1 Suggested Flow Cell Cleaning Solvents
a
Solvent
Description
Methanol
Miscible with most LC solvents. Methanol will force other
solvents through the system so they will not interfere with
the next sample. It breaks down the tertiary structure of
silica and allows it to flush through.
Acetone
Common organic solvent with high dissolving properties.
Acetone absorbs UV light at 254 nm. Therefore, the Raw
Lamp Energy gauge will always read red when acetone is
in the flow cell. After pumping acetone, pump a different
solvent through the system to remove the acetone and
read the Raw Lamp Energy gauge.
Dichloromethane
(DCM)
Effective at solubilizing organic molecules.
Dimethylsulfoxide
(DMSO)
Strong solvent that will clear organic sample.
Dimethylformamide
(DMF)
Strong solvent if other solvents do not produce the
desired results.
Tetrahydrofuran
(THF)
Strong solvent.
Water/DMF/
methanol
A 50/25/25 solvent mixture effective in clearing some
obstructions.
Water/DMF/
Acetic Acid
30/30/30ml solvent mixture effective in clearing some
obstructions.
Mildly acidic
aqueous solution
0.5M acetic acid in distilled water can be used to clear
samples that are not removed by organic solvents.
Mildly basic
aqueous solution
A dish-type detergent solution can wash through
particulates not picked up by the acidic solution. The
emulsification effect of detergent is an effective tool as
well to help wash through oily samples. Follow the
detergent with several minutes of clean, distilled water.
a. Recent synthesis solvents should also be considered.