How to Clean the Chromatography Sample Vial

The cleaning of chromatographic sample vials is very important. If the cleaning is not clean, it may affect the next measurement, so everyone must master the cleaning method of chromatographic sample vials. Usually, the experimenter will follow the glass instrument washing method and choose the cleaning method of the sample vial according to the degree of contamination, and there is no fixed mode.

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Those who do chromatographic analysis know that due to a large number of samples, a large number of chromatographic vials need to be cleaned during the detection process, which not only wastes time but also reduces work efficiency. Moreover, sometimes the cleanliness of the cleaned chromatographic sample vial does not meet the requirements: analyte loss, chromatographic peaks generated by the interaction between the solvent and the septum; mechanical damage to the autosampler, sample degradation, poor injection repeatability, and so on, leading to deviations in the experimental results.

Here are five common cleaning methods.

Method 1: Alcohol cleaning

  1. Drain the test solution in the chromatographic vial.
  2. Immerse all in 95% alcohol, ultrasonically wash it twice and drain it, because alcohol can easily enter a 1.5mL vial and can be miscible with most organic solvents.
  3. Pour in clean water and ultrasonically wash twice.
  4. Pour out the lotion into the vial and bake it at 110 degrees Celsius for 1~2 hours. Never bake it at high temperatures.
  5. Cool and store.

Method 2: Pure water + ultrasonic + ethanol cleaning

  1. Rinse with tap water several times.
  2. Put it into a beaker filled with pure water and ultrasonically for 15 minutes.
  3. Change the water, and then ultrasonic for 15 minutes.
  4. Soak in a beaker filled with absolute ethanol.
  5. Take it out and let it dry naturally.

Method 3: Methanol + ultrasonic cleaning

  1. Soak in methanol (chromatographically pure) and ultrasonically clean for 20 minutes, then drain the methanol.
  2. Then fill the chromatographic sample vial with water, ultrasonically clean it for 20 minutes, and then drain the water.
  3. Finally, dry the chromatographic sample vial.

Method 4: Hydrogen peroxide + alcohol cleaning

  1. Generally, it is washed and dried with clean water first, and then soaked with strong hydrogen peroxide lotion.
  2. Use medical alcohol to soak for more than 4 hours, then ultrasound for half an hour, and then pour out the medical alcohol.
  3. Use water to ultrasonically clean for half an hour, rinse with water, and then dry it.

Method 5: Potassium dichromate + methanol cleaning

  1. First, soak in a strong oxidizing cleaning solution (potassium dichromate) for 24 hours, then wash three times with deionized water under ultrasonic conditions, and finally wash once with methanol, then dry it and use it.
  2. The vial gasket must be replaced with a new one, especially when analyzing pesticide residues; otherwise, it will affect the quantitative results.

The above are the five common cleaning methods of chromatographic vials, summarized by HAWACH for you. Wish you a smooth experiment!