Capillary Ion Chromatography

• Why was capillary IC developed?
• What is the difference between standard bore and capillary IC?
• What are the advantages of an “RFIC” and “Always On” capillary system?
• How does capillary IC reduce costs?
• How does capillary IC affect mass sensitivity?
• What Dionex capillary ion chromatography systems are available?
• What are some applications that can take advantage of capillary IC?
• What Dionex capillary IC columns are available?

We developed capillary ion chromatography to address customer challenges and provide:

• Improved productivity; faster time to results
• High performance with ease of use
• Reduced reagent and consumable costs
• Reliable data with limited sample volumes

In capillary IC, the column size, injection volumes, and flow rates are scaled down by a factor of 25 to 100.

Nothing comes close to the ease of use, reproducibility, and performance of a Dionex RFIC system, which automates eluent generation.The combination of RFIC and an instrument that’s always on provides the following additional benefits:

• Eluent Generator Cartridge (EGC) lasts for 18 months
• Eliminates eluent preparation by using only 15mL water/day (5.2L water/year)
• Eliminates variations associated with manual eluent preparation
• Provides a stable background with more consistent response
• Eliminates start-up and equilibration time
• Reduces the need for repeated calibrations; verify system performance by running a check standard
• Provides highly reproducible results, with little variability in peak retention times or areas
• Reduces preventive maintenance and down time because the pumps are only exposed to ultrapure water

• Eluent generator cartridges (EGCs) last 18 months
• Reduces waste disposal from 520L to 5.2L per year
• Saves time by eliminating eluent preparation, start-up time, and system equilibration
• Reduces preventive maintenance and down time because the pumps are only exposed to ultrapure water

Mass sensitivity is improved 100-fold by scaling the diameter of the column to 0.4mm.

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Both of our capillary systems are high pressure ion chromatography (HPIC) systems. Adding to the advantages inherent in capillary IC is the ability to continuously operate at pressures up to 5000 psi. This allows you to take advantage of new high-efficiency 4μm particle-size columns for even better performance. HPIC systems in capillary format deliver an impressive combination of advantages—resolution, speed, sensitivity, reproducibility, and simplicity.

We offer carbohydrate, cation, anion carbonate, and anion hydroxide IC columns in capillary format.