SFCprep-Analyzer

The isolation of high-purity substances using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has established itself as one of the most efficient methods, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. The advantages of SFC are its high separation efficiency and rapid chromatographic separation.

In contrast to preparative HPLC, supercritical_CO2 is used as the primary solvent in SFC as the mobile phase. This_CO2 becomes gaseous when the pressure is released at the end of the separation, so that only a small amount of auxiliary solvent remains. This reduces the time required to remove the solvent during substance isolation. This is a particular advantage with thermolabile compounds, which decompose quickly under normal, prolonged drying conditions. However, due to the sudden expansion of CO2, appropriate measures must be taken to prevent loss of substance or contamination of the samples.

SIM, in collaboration with Agilent Technologies, has launched an SFC system that allows analytical separations to be used directly to isolate high purity substances: In the SFCprep analyzer, the Agilent 1260 Infinity III SFC analytical system is extended by a unit consisting of the SIM SFC fraction collector and an isocratic pump. The entire analyzer is managed by the OpenLab software, which provides intuitive control for the extended functionality.

The integration of the SFC fraction collector into the Agilent 1260 Infinity III SFC system enables a seamless transition from method development to semi-preparative isolation of target compounds directly with the same analyzer.

At the heart of the SIM fraction collector is the gas-liquid separator. The patented design achieves very good recovery rates despite_{CO2 expansion} after separation and prevents carry-over of the substances. Analytical SFC purification is particularly advantageous for chiral molecules and complex mixtures and offers a wide range of possible applications (e.g. aromatic substances, peptides and the separation of enantiomers).

Together with the advantages of SFC - short analysis times and simple and gentle drying - the SFCprep analyzer offers a fast and efficient way of isolating small amounts of substances from complex mixtures and using them for subsequent structure elucidation (e.g. NMR). It is an environmentally friendly purification system that increases productivity through reduced solvent consumption and rapid evaporation of the residual solvent.

The analyzer can not only be ordered in the standard version, but can also be adapted directly to specific customer requirements (e.g. by selecting different detectors). You receive a ready-to-analyze system that undergoes a factory acceptance test (FAT) at SIM before delivery. This means that immediately after installation you have a fully functional system for the analytical purification and isolation of small quantities of substances.