6
–
Column Care
Thermo Scientific
Product Manual for IonPac AS31 Columns
Page 41 of 45
155007-01
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
6.5
Column Cleanup
The following column cleanup protocols have been divided into three general isocratic protocols
to remove acid-soluble, base-soluble, or organic contaminants. They can be combined into one
gradient protocol if desired; however, the following precautions should be observed.
•
Always ensure that the cleanup protocol used does not switch between eluents which
may create high pressure eluent interface zones in the column.
•
High pressure zones can disrupt the uniformity of the packing of the column bed
and irreversibly damage the performance of the column.
•
High viscosity mixing zones can be created between two eluents having solvents with
a very high energy of mixing.
•
High pressure zones in the column can be created by pumping successive eluents
through the column that are not miscible, that have eluent components in one eluent
that will precipitate out in the other eluent, or by using an acid eluent followed by a
base eluent which may create a neutralization pressure band.
•
The precipitation of the salts by solvents during column rinses can result in very
high-pressure zones.
When in doubt, always include short column rinse steps to reduce the solvent content of the eluent
to < 5% levels and the ionic strength of the eluent to < 50 mM levels to avoid creating high
pressure zones in the column that may disrupt the uniformity of the column packing.
WARNING
!
