How HPLC Vials are Used in Liquid Chromatography
Do you remember your high school chemistry class? While most people hate certain aspects of the subject, such as memorizing the Periodic Table, most students love experimenting with liquid solutions.
Many people continue to do this work professionally in their careers using a process called High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). This analytical technique examines the makeup of chemical compounds like polymers and small molecules.
The HPLC process is intricate and complex but can yield fascinating and helpful results. To make the process work, though, you need several materials. One of those essential items is HPLC vials.
Without HPLC vials, liquid chromatography would be impossible to perform. They play an essential role, but what exactly does that look like?
If you’re curious about this, you’re in luck! In this article, we’ll explore the vital ways HPLC vials aids in liquid chromatography.
What are HPLC Vials?
A chromatography vial is a container designed for temporarily holding samples. In the case of HPLC vials, they contain liquid samples that scientists can then analyze and break down.
Because HPLC workers need to conduct several examinations of liquids, these vials come in several shapes. Some of these include screw tops, crimp tops, short thread, or shell vials.
Shapes are not the only way that HPLC vials can help with liquid chromatography. Instead, HPLC vials can also affect the chromatography results by their materials. We’ll discuss this further in the next section.
HPLC Vial Materials
When shopping for HPLC vials, you’ll often see them in two types of materials. First, there is a Borosilicate glass. This type of glass has the least pH shift of any glass.
Why does this matter? Because of its low pH shift, it has a heavy resistance to water, acidic solutions, and concentrated acids. It can also resist chemicals like chlorine, bromine, iodine, and other organic substances.
In plain English, this makes its chemical resistance is superior to most metals. It can even withstand temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius. Because of this, the material is excellent for high-pressure liquid chromatography as well.
The other prominent material is Polypropylene plastic. Like Borosilicate glass, it has a high chemical resistance due to its molecular makeup. It also has excellent insulation and robust resistance to electricity.
Finally, it has a surprising degree of elasticity and toughness. By this, we mean that this material can stretch into many shapes without breaking. As a result, manufacturers can fashion it into several shapes for their HPLC vials.
HPLC Vials Price
After reading the above sections, you may imagine that HPLC vials must be incredibly expensive. However, you can find many models of vials that are more affordable than you’d expect.
Some vials may cost as much as $25.00. However, some smaller models range from as small a price as $5.00. To find the best vials for affordable rates, check out the selection on Chrom Tech.
Learn More About HPLC Vials
As you can see, HPLC vials play an essential role in the high-pressure liquid chromatography process. Without these vials, the process would be much more complicated. If you’d like to learn more about these vials, you can find several other resources online.
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