A Quick Look at Protein Precipitation (PPT)

Proteins in biological sample matrices have a dramatic effect in HPLC/UHPLC column lifetime and can interfere with MS detector sensitivity. Protein precipitation is a simple sample preparation technique that is used to remove proteins from the sample using an organic solvent or a salt.

A Quick Look at Phospholipid Removal (PLR)

Phospholipids have been shown to reduce HPLC/UHPLC column lifetime and sensitivity and are also responsible for ion suppression. Phospholipids are present in a majority of bioanalytical samples including whole blood and plasma. With an increasing number of clinical applications being developed from bioanalytical samples, the removal of phospholipids from the sample prior to LC/MS/MS analysis has become an important step for accurate analysis.

A Quick Look at QuEChERS

QuEChERS (an acronym for Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) is a commonly used sample preparation technique that is employed in most multi-residue pesticide testing laboratories.In residue testing, the primary challenge is to eliminate naturally occurring pigments, fats, waxes, and other unwanted interferences from the sample matrix in order to achieve lower limits of detection and quantification of pesticides.

A Quick Look at Filtration

In HPLC, particulates and microbial growth in mobile phase buffers and samples can damage expensive HPLC equipment such as pumps, valves, columns and detectors. They can also lead to erratic analytical results. Pre-filtering samples and mobile phases prior to analysis can help prevent column and frit blockage, abnormally high operating pressures, and can undue wear on valve and injector seals.

Syringe filters are commonly used to pre-filter samples with volumes ranging from 1-100 mL because they can easily attach to any syringe. The sample is pushed through the syringe filter membrane which traps particulates, resulting in a contaminant and particulate free sample.

A Quick Look at Simplified Liquid Extraction (SLE)

SLE simplifies the liquid-liquid extraction product by eliminating the formation of emulsions and the need to manually separate liquid phases. Simply load your aqueous sample onto the solid support and allow it to soak into the sorbent. After 5 minutes, apply the same organic solvent that you would use for a liquid-liquid extraction. Target analytes will partition into the organic solvent and elute from the sorbent, leaving behind contaminants such as phospholipids, proteins, and salts