HPLC-Equipment

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is an analytical method in chemistry. HPLC is a liquid chromatography method that can not only separate substances into its single components but also identify and quantify these components. That means that you can determine the exact concentration of any compound. In contrast to GC you can also determine elusive components with HPLC which makes it an excellent method for e.g. bioactive substances.

HPLC can also be used in a preparative way, even several kilograms of a substance can be purified this way.

Construction

An HPLC-System consists of different components:

A pump is there to ensure a constant flow of the eluent. With a gradient HPLC there at up to 4 different eluents. The pump is operated with one or more pistons. As with any mechanical instrument there are wear parts like seals, pistons, valves or valve cartridges. These parts have to be checked in constant intervals and need to be replaced if they are not longer working reliable: WICOM is the perfect partner for this task! For almost 30 years we are producing spare parts for (almost) any model you will find in any laboratory. We even have spare parts for models that are “out of support” at the manufacturer.

The sample is injected into the HPLC by different ways: Either by manual injection via a syringe and a special six-port-valve or by an autosampler. WICOM is your partner for both ways: We offer syringes for injection and valve parts like sample loops, rotorseals or stators. If you use an autosampler you will find spare parts like needle seats or needles. Of course we offer the matching vial for any sampler!

The main piece of any separation is the column. These HPLC-columns have a length of 20-300 mm and a diameter from 2-4.6 mm. Depending on the method the column is filled with a polar or apolar phase. We offer columns in any dimension and with any stationary phase, for example Bondapak, Reprosil or Zorbax. In case you are not able to use a WICOM column because of a validated method or SOP we offer (almost) every column from every supplier – fast and very reasonable priced.

The measuring result is provided by a detector. This can be, depending on the analytical task, an UV-VIS – detector, a Diode-Array Detector, or a fluorescence detector. Also refractive index detectors or MS-detectors are very common. For all detectors we offer deuterium lamps, xenon lamps, flow cells and other spare parts.

Of course WICOM is also able to deliver consumables like capillaries made of PEEK or stainless steel, fittings or tools like capillary cutters.

By the way: we are the right partner for auxiliary equipment like column oven, degasser, solvent recycler or nitrogen generators for the LC-MS!